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Georgian Enforcement Ministers Still in Force
Georgian parliament approved the new cabinet yesterday, sanctioning the replacement of minister for separatist conflicts and environmental minister. At the same time, the parliament backed up the hawks of the government, Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili, all rallies of the opposition and threats of Kodori Gorge notwithstanding.
The tuned-up cabinet of Georgian ministers got the go-ahead with no great problems yesterday, which was of no surprise, by the way. Of 18 ministers, 16 maintained the offices.
But the ruling party’s faction and the opposition clashed because of Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili. Some members of the opposition even declined to take part in the sitting, saying the parliament turned into the notary bureau for approving the president’s decrees. Those present at the sitting lost the battle and vowed to press for removing the new cabinet. The non-parliamentary opposition was holding mass meetings outside the legislature, blaming the human right breach on interior minister.
It is interesting that the sole area under Georgia’s control in Abkhazia, the Kodori Gorge, attempted to exert influence on establishing a new cabinet. Emzar Kvitsiani, former envoy of Georgian president to Kodori, lashed out at Tbilisi on the eve of the sanctioning meeting of the parliament.
Kvitsiani accused Geogia of arranging a military attack on the valley to disarm the Hunters Battalion that was created in late 1990s to protect the territory. Kvitsiani announced he was no longer subordinate to central authorities and would respond by force to any attempt of the Georgian military to penetrate into the valley. Moreover, the Kodori chief stepped in with political demands yesterday, pledging to make peace with Georgia but conditioning it to resignation of Okruashvili and Merabishvili.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 25, 2006
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