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Compiled by Salome Modebadze
Friday, December 12
Will two Parliamentary Committees merge?

Rezonansi reports that the appointment of two MPs as Ministers may cause particular problems in Parliament. Even if there is no problem in finding a replacement for Nika Rurua, the former Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Defence and Security Committee, finding a new Chairman for the Committee of Foreign Affairs is a serious problem. It can however be resolved by merging the two Committees.

“This is just an idea at the moment but such a system works well in many countries. The Committee of Defence and Security and the Committee of Foreign Affairs work as one unit there,” Lasha Zhvania, the former head of the Committee of Foreign Affairs has stated.

Zhvania’s initiative does already have opponents in Parliament. His idea is unacceptable to Davit Darchiashvili, Chairman of Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, among others.



Armenians rally outside Georgian Parliament

A group of Armenians living in Georgia has carried out its threat and held a rally in front of Parliament, Akhali Taoba writes. The Coordination Council had planned the protest rally a few days before Tigran Sarkisian the Prime Minister of Armenia visited Georgia on December 10. There are some rumours that the organizers of the rally had wanted to attract the Armenian Government’s attention, but others suggest that Russian Special Services were the instigators of the rally.

The rally didn’t pass without incident. There was a clash between protestors and representatives of the political party For Georgia’s Future. Participants of the rally also abused ethnic Armenian member of the Georgian Parliament Van Baiburt. Some also say that he is an instigator the rally. The Georgian Patriarchate has released a special statement stating that the problems the protestors had gathered to complain about should be settled by negotiation.

According to information released several forces are involved in an attempt to aggravate a conflict between Georgia and Armenia in the near future.



Tskhinvali to be rebuilt by Moscow

Sakartvelos Respublika writes that Moscow has set aside 2.5 billion rubles for rehabilitation works in Tskhinvali.

According to Ria Novosti this amount will be allocated from the Moscow Reserve Fund. Russian builders will construct 100,000 square kilometres of housing for people damaged by the August war. Moscow reports that 80% of buildings and 50% of domestic housing in Tskhinvali were destroyed by the war.



Our woods become used to conflagration

Sakartvelos Respublika reports that a fire is raging in Kvareli forest which has become impossible to extinguish. A team consisting of members of the Forest Fire Extinguishing Department, the regional administration and local inhabitants has tried to put it out, but the fire had spread over approximately 2-3 hectares of dry leaves.

According to Levan Gamsakhurdia, the Kvareli district Governor, there is no danger of the fire spreading to the rest of the wooded area. Predicted rain in Kvareli Region is supposed to help extinguish the fire.