Press Scanner
Prepared by Diana Dundua
Wednesday, March 19
“Because of financial problems Irina Sarishvili cannot collect signatures against Georgia’s NATO integration”
The political party Imedi is running out of money as it attempts to collect signatures on a petition against Georgian NATO accession, according to Akhali Taoba.
Party leader Irina Sarishvili, reportedly in Moscow, denies that she is looking for financing.
“I hope we will manage to collect 1.5 million signatures [against Georgian membership in NATO], Sarishvili, who advocates Georgian “neutrality,” has said. “This is the minimum number of people who are categorically against Georgia’s integration into any military-political alliance.”
She says she will not ally herself with any other opposition parties for the parliamentary elections.
“The demand of neutrality is a huge disconnect between the voters and the other political parties,” she added.
“Movladi Udugov: Putin plans to assassinate Medvedev!”
Rezonansi reports that a Chechen rebel leader claims outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to assassinate the president-elect and then blame Georgia for the deed.
“This will allow Putin to return to the president’s post,” says Movladi Udugov.
According to the Chechen rebel, the current president of Chechnya has been ordered to assassinate president-elect Dmitry Medvedev, and his relative tasked with carrying out the hit.
“I assure you, after Medvedev’s assassination the police will ‘discover’ that the assassins underwent training on Georgian territory, and Russia will launch air attacks on Georgia,” Udugov said.
“Levan Bezhashvili accused of nepotism”
A local opposition politician is accusing the regional governor of appointing friends and relatives to government jobs, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
Republican Party activist Tengiz Bezhashvili, of Sighnaghi, claims that Kakheti governor Levan Bezhashvili appointed a close friend to the post of Sighnaghi gamgebeli, or district head.
Tiniko Pkhovelishvili of the Sighnaghi-based NGO Lawyers’ Development Center also criticized recent regional appointments.
In her interview with regional radio station Hereti FM, Pkhovelishvili claims that after Bezhashvili’s appointment in February, his allies have been abusing their authority.
“They are dismissing professional staff from their posts without any explanation, and appointing their relatives instead,” Pkhovelishvili claimed.
Zaza Zedelashvili, the new gamgebeli reportedly tied to Bezhashvili, said that everyone who was let go has either found new employment or will soon.
“As for the importance of the staff changes in the regional administration, we are appointing only professionals,” Zedelashvili said.
“An orphan girl was given a computer”
On March 17, Akhali Taoba reports, two opposition leaders gave a computer to a young girl studying at a Tbilisi public school.
Independent MP Levan Gachechiladze and Kartuli Dasi leader Jondi Baghaturia praised the girl, Inga Rodinova, who the paper identifies as an orphan being raised by a poor family, for her good schoolwork.
“I want to thank Inga’s teachers, as they are contributing a lot towards the girl being a good pupil,” Gachechiladze stated.
The political party Imedi is running out of money as it attempts to collect signatures on a petition against Georgian NATO accession, according to Akhali Taoba.
Party leader Irina Sarishvili, reportedly in Moscow, denies that she is looking for financing.
“I hope we will manage to collect 1.5 million signatures [against Georgian membership in NATO], Sarishvili, who advocates Georgian “neutrality,” has said. “This is the minimum number of people who are categorically against Georgia’s integration into any military-political alliance.”
She says she will not ally herself with any other opposition parties for the parliamentary elections.
“The demand of neutrality is a huge disconnect between the voters and the other political parties,” she added.
“Movladi Udugov: Putin plans to assassinate Medvedev!”
Rezonansi reports that a Chechen rebel leader claims outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to assassinate the president-elect and then blame Georgia for the deed.
“This will allow Putin to return to the president’s post,” says Movladi Udugov.
According to the Chechen rebel, the current president of Chechnya has been ordered to assassinate president-elect Dmitry Medvedev, and his relative tasked with carrying out the hit.
“I assure you, after Medvedev’s assassination the police will ‘discover’ that the assassins underwent training on Georgian territory, and Russia will launch air attacks on Georgia,” Udugov said.
“Levan Bezhashvili accused of nepotism”
A local opposition politician is accusing the regional governor of appointing friends and relatives to government jobs, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
Republican Party activist Tengiz Bezhashvili, of Sighnaghi, claims that Kakheti governor Levan Bezhashvili appointed a close friend to the post of Sighnaghi gamgebeli, or district head.
Tiniko Pkhovelishvili of the Sighnaghi-based NGO Lawyers’ Development Center also criticized recent regional appointments.
In her interview with regional radio station Hereti FM, Pkhovelishvili claims that after Bezhashvili’s appointment in February, his allies have been abusing their authority.
“They are dismissing professional staff from their posts without any explanation, and appointing their relatives instead,” Pkhovelishvili claimed.
Zaza Zedelashvili, the new gamgebeli reportedly tied to Bezhashvili, said that everyone who was let go has either found new employment or will soon.
“As for the importance of the staff changes in the regional administration, we are appointing only professionals,” Zedelashvili said.
“An orphan girl was given a computer”
On March 17, Akhali Taoba reports, two opposition leaders gave a computer to a young girl studying at a Tbilisi public school.
Independent MP Levan Gachechiladze and Kartuli Dasi leader Jondi Baghaturia praised the girl, Inga Rodinova, who the paper identifies as an orphan being raised by a poor family, for her good schoolwork.
“I want to thank Inga’s teachers, as they are contributing a lot towards the girl being a good pupil,” Gachechiladze stated.