News

The famous Russian writer Fazil Iskander is confident that there will be no new war in Abkhazia. He told about it in his TV appeal to his compatriots broadcast today by the Abkhazian television.

Vano Merabishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, has declared at a press conference that ordinary policemen, now working in the territories, adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, will be replaced by special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

All over again, already for the fourth time, on September 12, local residents defended the Imereti Valley from another attempt of the FSUE (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) "Rosmorport" to start construction in this area of the "Second Sochi Cargo Port".

Russian militaries have been withdrawn from the city of Poti, Georgia, in fulfilment of the Russia-France agreement.

Russia, which was accused by Tbilisi of genocide against Georgians, is not going to lodge a counterclaim against Georgia. This was stated by Kirill Gevorgyan, Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands and representative of the Russian Federation at hearings at the International Court.

The leadership of Georgia has published new data about the country's losses in the course of recent events in South Ossetia. According to this information, 326 citizens of Georgia perished, namely: 154 militaries, 155 civil citizens and 17 MIA employees.

According to the statement of Kakha Kukava, one of the leaders of the United Opposition of Georgia, the opposition is now considering an opportunity to demand that the authorities of Georgia hold early parliamentary and presidential elections.

On the night of September 12, in the city of Malgobek, Ingushetia, unknown persons blew up the car belonging to Hussein Shadiev, Imam of the local mosque. The churchman was wounded.

The consequences of the humanitarian catastrophe in South Ossetia have been liquidated, President Eduard Kokoity reported at the meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on September 11 in Sochi.

The FSB (Federal Security Bureau) of the Russian Federation has refused to inform the All-Russian Public Organization "Voice of Beslan" about the funds allocated to North Ossetia for prevention of terror acts, having referred to it as a "secret protected by the federal law."

Magomed Khazbiev, organizer of the nationwide rally of the Ingush people and a colleague of the murdered Magomed Evloev, owner of the independent Internet portal "Ingushetia.Ru", has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he had learnt that he was a figurant in a criminal case summaries of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The today's official press of Azerbaijan has published the list of places allotted for holding mass actions in 56 cities and district centres of Baku. These places have been defined by local executive bodies according to the Law "On Freedom of Assembly".

In the course of verifying operative data, employees of the State Security Service (SSS) of Abkhazia detained an agent of Georgian special agencies - a woman-citizen of Abkhazia Diana Shedaniya, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

In Armenia, according to the decision of the court, Armen Sarkisyan, who has served five years of imprisonment accused of organizing the murder of Tigran Nagdalyan, Director of the Public Armenian Television, has received an early-conditional release.

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has prepared a new issue of the Information Bulletin "Chronicle of Violence" for August 2008, related to the conflict in the Northern Caucasus. According to human rights activists, kidnappings, attacks of unknown persons, bombardments and murders happen practically every day in conflict.

Alexander Cherkasov, an expert of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", who has visited South Ossetia, has stated that prior to start the war Georgia had systematically evacuated Georgian population from the conflict zone.

The President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity has stated that his republic is not going to give up its independence and to be a part of Russia, although they are grateful to it for saving the Ossetian people.

Abkhazia is going to enter the CIS and to submit an application on joining the United State of Russia and Belarus, President Sergey Bagapsh has declared.

Russia should cease shirking its obligations to withdraw troops and "clear off" Georgia, said Sean McCormack, press secretary of the US Department of State, on September 10.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has stated that some nongovernmental and non-commercial organizations (NGOs and NCOs) in Russia had been preparing a breakaway of a number of republics should Russia had failed to defend South Ossetia.