Georgian press digest: excerpts
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Subject: Georgian press digest: excerpts
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Georgian press digest: excerpts
ANNOTATED DAILY HEADLINES OF THE GEORGIAN PRESS
Compiled by the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and
Development (CIPDD)
Text: Tamara Shamil
English version: Guram Dumbadze
Editor: Emil Adelkhanov-Steinberg
February 15, 1999
1. "REGISTERED" AND "UNREGISTERED" PATRIOTS
The issue of the item "ethnicity" in the citizen's ID was debated by
the "Patriots"and "Freemasons"" in Parliament last week. The formers
demand to revise the law that had abolished the item. Up to recently,
their positions had seemed stronger. The parliamentary debates showed,
however, that many Georgian intellectuals share the stand of NGOs:
they consider it irrelevant to return this item in the ID. It seems
that Shevardnadze had been too quick to promise a compromise to the
nationalists; he will have to think now. That is why, maybe, the final
decision on the issue was postponed for several months.
"Droni" No. 15, February 13-16, p. 2
2. THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ASKS ADJARIA TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEM OF
SEVEN ARRESTED RUSSIAN CITIZENS
According to the press centre of the Supreme Council of Adjaria, seven
Russian citizens were arrested by Adjarian security services on
December 6 for having entered a restricted area. They had a plan of
the area by them. The Adjarian security demanded their personal files
from its Moscow colleagues. Moscow has not responded so far.
Black-Sea press agency. "Droni" No. 15, February 13-16, p. 2
3. RUSSIA REINFORCING ITS MILITARY FORCE IN THE CAUCASUS
According to Nodar Natadze, leader of the United Republican Party,
Russia is deploying additional troops at its military bases in
Abkhazia to conquer, "in case of need", the Caucasus in 3-5 hours. To
his knowledge, 3,000 servicemen and 28 aircraft, including Su-25
fighters and Su-27 bombers, have recently been transferred to the
Bombora airfield near Gudauta, Abkhazia.
Black-Sea press agency. "Droni" No. 15, February 13-16, p. 2
...................
5. THE ABKHAZ TO RELEASE SEVEN GEORGIAN PRISONERS
Ruslan Kishmaria, the head of the Gali district administration, has
passed Elena Tevdoradze a list of the Georgian prisoners to be
transferred to Georgia in accordance with a Georgian-Abkhaz agreement.
The next meeting on the issue will take place in the village of
Chuburkhindji, Gali district, in two weeks.
Prime-News agency. "Resonance" No. 40, February 15, p. 7
------------------------------
February 16, 1999
1. POLICEMEN KILLED IN THE GALI DISTRICT
Four Abkhaz policemen were shot to death in the vicinity of the
village of Meore Otobaia, the Gali district of
Abkhazia, on February. According to the Georgian security, Abkhaz
gunmen burnt down four Georgian houses in response. Sukhumi blames
both incidents on Georgian guerrillas.
Kavkaz-press agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 16, February 16, p. 5
...................
3. THE SEPARATISTS PROMISE JOBS TO THE REFUGEES
According to Abkhaz premier Sergey Bagapsh, the refugees who will come
back to Abkhazia will be offered jobs; he even said that 110 out of
the 350 positions in the Gali district police stations are waiting for
them. In his words, if Georgia does not join the process of
repatriation by 1 March, the Abkhaz authorities will carry it out on
their own.
Prime-News agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 16, February 16, p. 5
...................
5. THE BORDER WILL HAVE A MASTER
The Akhaltsikhe group of the Russian frontier troops has left Georgia.
The Georgian frontier guards took control of the largest sector at the
Georgian-Turkish border (170 km and 17 checkpoints).
Viktoria Vazagashvili. "Svobodnaya Gruzia" No. 30, February 16, p. 1
...................
8. VIRK: THE EXPERIENCE OF DJAVAHK AND GREAT AMBITIONS
A new political party, "People's Party of Georgia Virk", has recently
been set up on the basis of "Djavahk"
(local Armenian nationalistic organisation) in the Meskhet-Djavakheti
region populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. According to David
Rstakian and Melsi Torosian, party leaders, Virk will abstain from
making public its position until formal registration, which is
expected after it holds its constituent assembly at the end of
February. Nevertheless, they told that the party would function in
accordance with the Constitution and back Shevardnadze at the coming
parliamentary elections; that it would support the country's
federalisation, up to separate parliaments in each region; that it
objected to a withdrawal of the Russian military base from the region,
to Aslan Abashidze's ideas about unification of Adjaria and
Meskhet-Djavakheti, and to the ethnicity item in the citizen's ID.
Zurab Khachapuridze, Besik Kurtanidze. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 31, February
16, p. 3
------------------------------
February 17, 1999
...................
3. ABOUT 100 HOUSES BURNT DOWN IN GALI THIS YEAR
About 100 houses of local Georgians have been robbed and burnt down in
the Gali district of Abkhazia this year. Local Georgians are
coercively drafted into the Abkhaz army (10 of them were called up in
January): those refused are beaten unmercifully.
Gea news agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 33, February 17, p. 2
------------------------------
February 18, 1999
1. "ADJARIA DEMANDS BROADER RIGHTS THAN AUTONOMIES USUALLY HAVE"
The Georgian president has recently offered the parliament to debate a
political and legal status of Adjaria.
At the same time, the representation office of Adjaria in Tbilisi is
also working out a draft status. According to Vakhtang Razmadze, the
head of the office, the draft provides for Ajaria broader rights than
autonomies usually have.
Zviad Pochkhua. "Resonance" No. 44, February 18, p. 4
2. KURDS PROTEST IN TBILISI
Representatives of the Kurd community in Georgia rallied outside the
Greek embassy in Tbilisi yesterday, protesting against Kurd leader
Abdulla Ocalan's extradition to Turkey.
Zurab Khachapuridze. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 34, February 18, p. 2
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