|
|
 |
AZERBAIJAN DAILY DIGEST
|
|
| Home > Daily News > Azerbaijan |
|
From: Alena Kim (akim@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue Sep 24 2002 - 13:31:38 EDT
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT INVITES RUSSIA TO SEND MILITARY OBSERVERS TO
PANKISI... During his traditional Monday radio broadcast, President
Eduard Shevardnadze suggested on 23 September that Russia send
unarmed military observers to the Pankisi Gorge to monitor the
ongoing "anticrime and antiterrorism" operation there, ITAR-TASS and
Caucasus Press reported. But "Vremya novostei" on 24 September quoted
Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii as saying that no
such official Georgian proposal has been received in Moscow.
Yastrzhembskii added that Russia is interested only in "real
interaction" in ridding the gorge of international "terrorists." Also
on 23 September, Georgian Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili said
the "active phase" of the operation in Pankisi will be completed
within 10 days, while State Security Minister Valeri Khaburzania said
that virtually all Chechen fighters and criminals left the gorge for
Russia when the operation got under way, Caucasus Press reported.
Shevardnadze also discussed during his 23 September radio broadcast
the anticipated financial benefits to Georgia from the construction and use of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil-export pipeline, Interfax and Caucasus Press
reported. He pointed out that construction of the pipeline, which is
expected to be completed in early 2005, will create thousands of new
jobs and raise Georgia's GDP by 10 percent. Transit fees alone once
the pipeline is operational will bring Georgia $63 million annually,
Shevardnadze forecast. LF
|
|
|
|
|
