President inspected reconstruction works in Gori

President Saakashvili arrived in the city of Gori today and viewed the reconstruction works, which are underway on the buildings damaged during the Russian air attacks.

Mikheil Saakashvili met with those residents who were left without shelter due to the Russian aggression and pledged to provide them with furniture and every other things that the Russian plunderers had taken away or that was damaged during the bombing.

President assigned the regional governor to install heaters and water heaters in every house after the rehabilitation works for the coming winter.

EU Georgia mission should be able to move everywhere: Solana

The EU’s Georgia mission is being deployed on the basis that it can move everywhere, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday, even as Russia opposes its presence in rebel regions.

The observer mission `will be deployed with the spirit that it can deploy everywhere` including rebel Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have been recognised as independent by Moscow, he said.

Russian pullout to be over in a week

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Russian pullout from Senaki and Poti line will be over in seven days.

Lavrov held a news conference today, where he downplayed the expectations of Georgian politicians that international observers might be stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He said they would be in charge of controlling situation only around these regions.

As for the presence of Russian troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Lavrov said it was a legal act and they would remain there to protect the two nations.

U.S. vetos Russian draft on Georgia

The United States of America has refused Russia’s proposal made in a corresponding UN Security Council draft resolution to impose an international ban on arms supplies to Georgia. The US Department of Defense has announced that it was sending a special mission to Georgia to assess the country’s needs for restoring its military strength.

On Tuesday, a Russian draft resolution was introduced to the UN Security Council calling for a complete arms embargo against Georgia. The document indicated, in particular, that all countries should take measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms to Georgia, as well as the provision of any assistance, consultations, or training related to military activities.

 

Russian soldiers to be deployed in Abkhazia, South Ossetia

Russia will deploy 3,800 soldiers each across territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia’s two conflict zones, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Anatoly Serdiukov, Russian Defense Minister agreed this afternoon.

During the meeting the two Russian top officials discussed scales of Russian military presence in the Caucasus. The exact places of troops’ dislocation in Abkhazia are not yet defined. However, it is already known that Russian militants will be present in Java village and Tskhinvali, capital of the self-proclaimed South Ossetian republic.

Medvedev said negotiations regarding the issue had been already complete with the Abkhazian and South Ossetian sides.