The News in Brief

Abkhaz say they shot down Georgian spy plane

Separatist authorities in breakaway Abkhazia claimed yesterday that they shot down a Georgian drone reconnaissance plane, a report strenuously denied by Tbilisi.

“I confirm a reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by our forces,” Abkhaz de facto president Sergey Bagapsh told Russian news agency RIA Novosti. “We have warned the Georgian side on numerous occasions against taking reconnaissance actions on our territory.”

Separatist news agency Apsnypress later reported Abkhaz forces recovered the wreckage of an Israeli-made reconnaissance drone off the coast.

A spokesperson for the Georgian Defense Ministry denied the report in comments to online news source Civil.ge, but acknowledged that Georgia possessed the aircraft.

Abkhaz officials have previously claimed Georgia was flying spy drones over Abkhazia, including around the time of the August 2007 Tsitelubani missile incident, when Georgia says a Russian missile struck the earth in Gori region.

This is the first time they have claimed to shoot one down.

Georgian military analyst Koba Liklikadze said the Abkhazian military might have the capability to down an unmanned aircraft, but said the claim is probably propaganda.

“This is Abkhazian propaganda before [next month’s NATO summit in] Bucharest to show international society that Georgia is an aggressor.” (Messenger Staff)



President of Azerbaijani state oil company to visit Georgia

Rovnag Abdullayev, president of the state oil company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), will visit Tbilisi to discuss Azerbaijan’s supply of gas to Georgia, according to Energy Minister Aleksandre Khetaguri.

Khetaguri said the two sides will not discuss prices but just technical details of the gas supply.

Khetaguri accompanied Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze on a visit to Baku on March 13, where they met with state officials. (Prime News)



Burjanadze says privatization unavoidable

Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze said the government’s property privatization drive is unavoidable and promised future legislation to bolster private property rights would soon be adopted.

“Of course there were painful moments that must be repeated. Even in cases when you observe the law, we must think about people and use more tact in the process of making the right decision,” Burjanadze said.

She was addressing residents of an apartment block on Vazha Pshavela and was joined by Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava. They presented residents with a certificate confirming their right to private property possession. (Prime News)



Separatist leader accuses Tbilisi of engendering instability

De facto South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said that Tbilisi is not ready for holding a constructive dialogue with separatist authorities and accused the Georgian authorities of trying to cause instability in the region.

He was commenting on President Mikheil Saakashvili’s recent refusal to sign a treaty on the non-use of force.

Kokoity also said that the Saakashvili administration is trying to divert the international community’s attention from the political standoff between government and the opposition.

“In any case the Ossetian people will continue to fight for independence with civilized methods and within the frames of international law,” he added.

On March 15 Saakashvili reiterated that Georgia will not give in to demands from the breakaway regions and Moscow to sign the non-use of force treaty.

“Georgia is a peaceful country and we have many times said that we want to settle all the conflicts only peacefully—but with whom should we sign this agreement?” the president said, alluding to the Georgian argument that a peace pact would imply an agreement between sovereign states. (Prime News)



Okruashvili’s court case continues in Tbilisi

Court proceedings on the case of former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili continued at Tbilisi City Court yesterday.

The court turned down a request from Okruashvili’s defense team to halt proceedings until a decision is made on his extradition from France, where the ex-minister is currently under house arrest.

The defense also asked to remove the judge, who they accused of political bias, and to be allowed to submit written evidence.

Both requests were denied, and Okruashvili’s lawyer Eka Beselia accused authorities of trying to prevent her client from running in the May parliamentary elections as head of his Movement for a United Georgia party. (Black Sea Press)