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The News in Brief

Friday, July 25
Roads to Tskhinvali blocked

Roads leading to Tskhinvali, the de facto capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, were blocked by protesting Georgians yesterday.

They are demanding the release of Teimuraz Gogiashvili, a Georgian accused of murder by the separatists and detained in Tskhinvali earlier this month.

According to some reports, two Ossetian men recently detained by the Georgian side were released in exchange for Gogiashvili on July 23.

An Interior Ministry spokesman told the Messenger that the two Ossetians were released on bail are accused of drug smuggling.

They were originally detained on July 21 with two other Ossetians who were released the following day. (Prime News)



Russian railway troops to finish work in Abkhazia end of July

Russian railway troops will finish repair work on the Sokhumi–Ochamchire railway section in Abkhazia by the end of the month, a Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson said yesterday.

“The ceremony marking the handing over of the section is scheduled for the end of July,” Col. Aleksandre Drobishevski said.

Drobishevski said servicemen repaired a 50-km section, replacing more than 12 000 sleepers and repairing 20 bridges. (Prime News)



Top US diplomat to the region to visit again

Matthew Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, will visit Sokhumi today.

Separatist news agency Apsnypress reported that Bryza will meet de facto Abkhaz president Sergei Bagapsh, among other separatist officials.

They will discuss conflict resolution talks and the recently presented German peace plan among other issues.

US Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft will accompany Bryza on the trip.

German Ambassador to Georgia Patricia Flor is also expected to visit Sokhumi to meet separatist officials. (Prime News)



Courts’ websites unveiled

The websites of 12 Georgian courts were unveiled at the Supreme Court yesterday.

Supreme Court chairman Konstantine Kublashvili said Georgians can now get information on current court proceedings online.

He said the Kutaisi Appeal Court and courts in 11 various region including Mtskheta, Telavi, Rustavi, Gori, Zugdidi, Zestaponi, Khashuri, Poti and Batumi now have their own websites.

“In the near future concrete decisions made by court will be revealed at the web pages of 12 courts that will simplify relationship between court and citizens, Kublashvili stated. (Prime News)



Russia claims Western intelligence pose as OSCE observers

An official with Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) claimed this week to have information that Western intelligence officials work as international elections observers for the OSCE, though the CEC later refuted his comments.

CEC member Igor Borisov told Ekho Moskvy on July 22 that intelligence service agents went to Yugoslavia, Georgia, Ukraine as elections monitors for the OSCE and that the “results are known to everybody.”

“Today democracy is inexistent in the OSCE organization and there have been numerous cases of political pressure exerted by western colleagues,” he continued.

He also said that Russia would invite international observers to monitor its elections.

“Russia has always adhered to its political obligations. We invited and shall invite international observers,” he said.

In February OSCE/ODIHR announced it would not send observers to the Russian presidential election, due to a row with Russian authorities over the size and scope of the monitoring mission. (Black Sea Press)



Okruashvili ally seeks political asylum in France

Former governor of Shida Kartli province Mikheil Kareli has applied for political asylum in France, according to a member of the opposition party For a United Georgia.

Last year Kareli, seen as an ally of ex-minister Irakli Okruashvili, was charged with exceeding his authority and abuse of office and was released on GEL 200 000 bail.

Before requesting asylum he reportedly visited Okruashvili, who founded For a United Georgia last year and currently has political asylum in Paris. (Black Sea Press)



Independent conflict expert visits Tskhinvali

South Ossetian media reported that a meeting took place between independent conflict expert Magdalena Frichova and South Ossetia’s top negotiator Boris Chochiev in Tskhinvali.

The pair reportedly discussed a donor program, Russian assistance to South Ossetia and the current situation in the region.

Frichova said she was visiting the region to study the situation before preparing a report for the European Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee.

Chochiev criticized the Georgian side for seeking to replace the existing Joint Control Commission negotiation format.

He also accused Georgia of aggravating the situation on July 8, when de facto South Ossetian authorities briefly detained four Georgian servicemen on separatist-controlled territory.

The same day Russian aircraft flew over South Ossetian territory in a move Moscow later said was designed to “let hotheads in Tbilisi cool down.”

“They are ruining not only the JCC, but all the existing possibilities for diplomacy. The main problem is the breaking of all contacts between the conflicting sides which occurred a year ago. As a result of the Georgian side’s actions, the situation on July 8 was aggravated considerably and if Russia did not take precautionary measures, a full scale war would have begun,” Chochiev said.

He said that 97 percent of the population of South Ossetia are Russia citizens and Moscow has not only the right to defend them but is constitutionally obliged to do so. (Black Sea Press)