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
June 17, 1999
.....................
4. RUSSIA DOES NOT MIND INTRODUCTION OF MIXED PEACEKEEPING FORCES TO
ABKHAZIA,
Russian envoy Lev Mironov says. Russia would even welcome it. However,
as the plan implies the replacement of Russian troops with those of
Ukraine and Azerbaijan, it requires consent of both countries and thus
seems to be not easy to implement. Will Abkhazia agree? Without
Abkhazia's consent, in his opinion, such an operation would mean
making peace through violence.
Prime-News agency. "Shvidi Dge" No. 69, June 16-17, p. 3
-----------------------
June 18, 1999
1. TSKHINVALI WILL LOSE ALL ITS IMPORTS UNLESS IT SUBMITS TO THE
GENERAL CONTROL
Having won the tender to manage the Georgian customs, the British
company ITS undertook to control the north border of South Ossetia
(the major route of smuggling from Russia which actually is beyond the
Georgian jurisdiction). This is not how the Ossetian authorities
conceive the South Ossetian sovereignty. The chief of the Georgian
Customs says Tbilisi will block any imports into South Ossetia unless
they give in.
"Shvidi Dge" No. 70, June 18-20, p. 2
.....................
3. JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: PARAMILITARY ORGANISATION
Commenting on the lawsuit brought by MP Guram Sharadze against two
organisations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia, Koba Davitashvili,
the chairman of the commission for law and human rights, Tbilisi
Sakrebulo (city council), says Jehovah's Witnesses pursue political
goals and their organisations are paramilitary rather than religious.
BS-Press agency. "Resonance" No. 163, June 18, p. 1
-----------------------
June 21, 1999
.....................
3. THE ABKHAZ "LAW-ENFORCEMENT" AGENCIES FOUND NEW SOURCES OF INCOME
Two days ago the Abkhaz police coercively conveyed all the
conscript-age male residents of the villages of Chuburgini, Megobroba
and Mziuri, Gali district, to the town of Gali in order to draft them
into the Abkhaz
army. They are being detained in the Gali police station. The Abkhaz
police offers them for choice: either to pay $200 and be released or
to serve in the Abkhaz forces.
Kavkaz-Press agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 137, June 20, p. 2
-----------------------
June 22, 1999
1. TBILISI AND TSKHINVALI AGREED TO DEVELOP ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Vazha Lortkipanidze, the state minister of Georgia, and Merab
Chigoyev, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
self-proclaimed South Ossetian republic, held talks in Tbilisi
yesterday on the necessity to restore economic relations between the
centre and Tskhinvali. No problems of IDPs or any other problems can
be solved unless the relations are restored, Mr Chigoyev said. As a
result of the 1990-92 conflict, about 50 thousand people, both
Georgians and Ossets, fled the region, and local economy is completely
destroyed.
Prime-News agency. "Dilis Gazette" No. 139, June 22, p. 1
2. RUSSIA GETTING READY TO TAKE REVENGE IN THE CAUCASUS
The other day six Russian fighters MiG-29 flew through the Georgian
air space to Armenia without Tbilisi's formal permission. The incident
was followed by a protest note of the Georgian defence ministry.
Earlier, five other MiG-29 fighters and one An-22 aircraft had also
trespassed the Georgian air space. According to Azerbaijanian sources,
about 20 MiG-29 fighters are already deployed in Armenia.
Geno Djokhidze. "Resonance" No. 167, June 22, p. 3
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