Georgian press digest: excerpts
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Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1999 20:07:16 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Georgian press digest: excerpts
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: CIPDD <[email protected]>
CIPDD wrote: 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 23, 1999
.................
2. [BRIEF NEWS]
Veterans of World War II hold a meeting outside the U.S. embassy in
Tbilisi yesterday. They protested against the presence of the Russian
peacekeeping mission in Abkhazia and passed a letter to the American
president, demanding the USA to take more active part in the
settlement of the conflict.
"Svobodnaya Gruzia" No. 138, June 23, p. 1
3. GEORGIAN GUERRILLAS THREATENING RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS WITH ARMS
The Russian peacekeepers are going to celebrate the 5th anniversary of
their peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia. The newspaper gives an
interview with an anonymous former guerrilla leader. He complains of
the peacekeepers accepting bribes from the Georgians but helping the
Abkhaz and says no reconciliation with the Abkhaz will be possible as
long as the Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the region. In his
words, the guerrillas will start fire at them unless the Georgian
government demands their withdrawal.
Beno Djokhidze. "Resonance" No. 168, June 23, p. 1
4. A NEW ANTI-GEORGIA SCENARIO BEING PLOTTED IN MOSCOW ON THE EVE OF
ELECTIONS
According to the newspaper, Russian secret services are plotting a
plan aimed to change the balance of forces in Georgia. According to
the plan, on the eve of the elections the leaders of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia will declare that negotiations between the break-away
regions and Tbilisi may be successful only if Aslan Abashidze, the
Adjarian leader, is elected President of Georgia. Their declarations
will be accompanied by increased tensions in Samegrelo (western
Georgia), Djavakheti (a region in southern Georgia populated mostly by
Armenians) and the Gali district of Abkhazia.
Tinatin Mindadze. "Shvidi De" No. 72, June 23-24, p. 3
-----------------------
June 24, 1999
1. [NEWS OF THE DAY]
According to Vakhtang Qolbaia, deputy chairman of Parliament, the
Georgian government is going to launch an international conference on
ethnic purges and genocide of the Georgian population of Abkhazia in
July. He reminds that after the Procurator's office had presented the
parliament its materials, the parliament qualified the Abkhazian
events as ethnic purges and genocide as early as in 1996.
"Svobodnaya Gruzia" No. 139, June 24, p. 1
.................
3. A BUS BLOWN UP IN THE GALI DISTRICT
A bus with some 30 passengers was blown up by an anti-tank mine in the
Gali district of Abkhazia (safety zone controlled by the peacekeeping
forces) on June 23. Three people are killed. The peacekeeping troops
have render harmless 23,666 explosive devices for five years.
BS-Press agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 141, June 24, p. 5
-----------------------
June 25, 1999
.................
5. THE ABKHAZ DISTRIBUTING GEORGIANS' HOUSES AND LANDS
According to anonymous sources among the Russian military, those
Russian frontier guards who agree to contract with the Abkhaz defence
ministry for the service in the Abkhaz army will be accommodated with
houses and land plots of Georgian refugees. After the term of the
contract expires, this property will pass into their possession.
Iprinda news agency. "Dilis Gazeti" No. 142, June 25, p. 5
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