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The News in Brief

Tuesday, March 31
President says individual re-metering situation in the regions is “catastrophic”

The individual re-metering situation in the regions is catastrophic, Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia has said during a meeting with regional Governors. The President stressed that this situation needs to be improved, as what happens in the villages is an injustice. He noted that the supply contract with Energo Pro had been quite badly drawn up in the part which referred to this issue.

“We create good terms for an investor so that they do not face any problems. The investor is not responsible for feeble persons [on our side] working on the contract,” the President remarked.

Mikheil Saakashvili declared that the Ministry of Justice should examine the work of those persons who worked on the contract and did not take into account that villages had to be individually re-metered.

“I charge the Ministry of Justice with this mission and I hope that the Prosecutor’s Office will study this case promptly,” Mikheil Saakashvili remarked.
(Interpressnews)



Supporting migration management in Georgia

Two study visits to the Czech Republic on 9-12 and 23-27 March 2009 provided a forum for officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Civil Registry Agency of Georgia and the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic to exchange knowledge and experience in migration management.

With funding from the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic the International Organization for Migration is implementing a project to support migration management in Georgia, with the overall objective of enhancing control over the irregular movement of migrants to and through Georgia and at the same time contributing to the creation of a modern migration management system facilitating the flow of legal migration.

This project will add capacity to migration management and border police structures in Georgia through exchanges of experience, training trainers, providing technical equipment and establishing cooperation between border forces’ educational facilities.

The study trips to the Czech Republic focused on two thematic areas: the collection, generation and sharing of migration-related data and report production and document inspection. The visits combined both theoretical and practical elements, and accommodated discussions on current needs and further steps of cooperation necessary in the field of migration management.
(The Messenger)

Tbilisi convinced Georgia will be discussed at Medvedev-Obama meeting

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has commented on the Obama-Medvedev meeting scheduled for April 1. “Against the background of ‘resetting’ the US-Russian relationship, the Georgian side is convinced that the Georgian issue will be a subject for discussion at this meeting, as the USA remains a partner state of Georgia,” – the Ministry states.

The meeting between Barack Obama and Dimitry Medvedev will be held in London.
(Interpressnews)



Hand grenades stolen from the Fifth Brigade

Hand grenades are missing from the arsenal of the Fifth Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces. The head of the Investigation Department of the military police, Gaga Korkotadze, stated today that the loss of the hand grenades was revealed on March 27.

“In one of the divisions of the Fifth Brigade the loss of hand grenades was revealed. The Military Police instituted a criminal investigation on March 27, which is now underway,” Korkotadze remarked.

The Fifth Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces is located in the Adjara region.
(Interpressnews)



Opposition holds meetings in regions

Representatives of opposition parties have begun holding meetings with residents of the regions, Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of the Conservative Party, has told Interpressnews.

Dzidziguri stated that opposition members visited Telavi yesterday and outlined their action plan concerning the rally scheduled for April 9. He added that the opposition will visit all the regions of Georgia and that on April 9 not only Tbilisi residents but people from the regions would join the rally.
(Interpressnews)



German Government allocates 1,200,000 Euro to Georgia

The German Government will allocate 1,200,000 Euro to the Georgian Justice Ministry. German Ambassador to Georgia Patricia Flor and the Minister of Justice, Zurab Adeishvili, signed the relevant document at the Ministry yesterday.

The funds allocated by Germany will be spent on the development of the Public Register Agency, which plans to improve its database. The funds will be drawn down by the end of 2009.
(Rustavi 2)