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Compiled by Ernest Petrosyan
Tuesday, December 23
Changes in Constitutional Court

The salary of Constitutional Court members will be increased from January 1 2009, 24 Saati writes. A legislative initiative concerning this was received for its first hearing by the Georgian Parliament yesterday.

According to the draft law, the salary of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court will be 5,650 instead of 4,100 GEL, the Deputy Chairman and Secretary will receive 4,800 instead of 3,400 GEL and other Constitutional Court members will receive 4,400 instead of 3,100 lari.



National Movement Parliamentary replacement

A Parliament sitting has acknowledged Giorgi Khakhnelidze as the National Movement list’s substitute for new Minister Nika Rurua, 24 saati reports. Khakhnelidze was number 52 in the party’s list, whereas Rurua was 24.

Until now Giorgi Khakhnelidze has been Chairman of the majority group on Tbilisi Council. Khakhnelidze will relinquish his municipality seat after the CEC’s decision is confirmed by the Georgian Parliament.



United States sends more financial aid

The United States Government has paid the next 47 million dollars of the 1 bln aid it granted to Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika reports. The United States will help Georgia with various types of aid over the next 2 years, designed to help IDPs, restore infrastructure, spur further economic development and restore foreign investors’ faith in the Georgian economy.

“This aid will also support the development of democratic processes and energy security,” noted John Tefft , US Ambassador to Georgia.



The Commission was pointless

The assessment of political analyst Ramaz Sakvarelidze is that Commission investigating the August events did not detect those guilty of military failure, which has creates the impression that its work was pointless, Kviris Palitra writes.

Sakvarelidze says the Commission did not address the most important questions Georgian society has concerning the August events. He also says that this was the first time a Parliamentary Commission had looked at such serious issues, and its members probably lacked experience, but regardless of this its conclusions did not correspond to public concerns and clearly differed from what could see for themselves on TV.

Sakvarelidze added that after hearing the Commission’s report he had the impression that the Commission had said nothing new about the August events. “Because the Commission did not detect those who failed in war it was pointless setting it up,” Sakvarelidze said.



Georgians leave Kodori Gorge again

Local residents who returned to their homes in the Kodori Gorge after the August events are now being forced to leave again, Kviris Palitra reports.

The returnees complain the Russian military is still a menace, the soldiers even enter houses without asking. Disagreements which often end in military confrontation between Abkhaz and Russian groups also complicate the situation. Kodori residents state that at present life for Kodori Georgians is unimaginably difficult.