The Week in Brief
Friday, June 20
Georgian security forces briefly detained four Russian peacekeepers south of a separatist conflict zone, confiscating their cargo of anti-tank missiles. A Russian commander said his men may fight back if it happens again.
A bedraggled United Opposition bloc said it would halt its campaigning for the summer, all but ending its failed eight-month bid to turn out the government.
The Christian Democrats, a newly-founded party which took the third-highest number of votes in last month’s elections, confirmed that its six MPs will begin attending parliament this month, putting a final nail in the coffin for a coordinated opposition boycott.
The highly influential ex-speaker of parliament, Nino Burjanadze, spoke out publicly for the first time since announcing in April that she would not stand for reelection. Burjanadze said she would start a think-tank, and made it clear she intends to keep a toe in domestic politics.
A shootout in breakaway South Ossetia killed a young man and injured four others. There were conflicting claims about how the firefight between Georgian and Ossetian forces began.
The number of Georgians who say fellow citizens are afraid to speak openly about their political views doubled between 2006 and 2007 to over half the country, a Gallup poll suggested.
A bedraggled United Opposition bloc said it would halt its campaigning for the summer, all but ending its failed eight-month bid to turn out the government.
The Christian Democrats, a newly-founded party which took the third-highest number of votes in last month’s elections, confirmed that its six MPs will begin attending parliament this month, putting a final nail in the coffin for a coordinated opposition boycott.
The highly influential ex-speaker of parliament, Nino Burjanadze, spoke out publicly for the first time since announcing in April that she would not stand for reelection. Burjanadze said she would start a think-tank, and made it clear she intends to keep a toe in domestic politics.
A shootout in breakaway South Ossetia killed a young man and injured four others. There were conflicting claims about how the firefight between Georgian and Ossetian forces began.
The number of Georgians who say fellow citizens are afraid to speak openly about their political views doubled between 2006 and 2007 to over half the country, a Gallup poll suggested.