Thread: Georgia's PM Found Dead, Gas Poisoning Suspected

Did he have a partially drank cup of tea on his desk? Damn Putinites slipped Anna Politkovskya and the President elect of the Ukraine some poisoned tea.

I thought Georgia was in Europe?? Anyway,the Russian media has been saying that no foul play is suspected..

well, well, one more USA backed leader downed in CIS

Hidden Tensions Become Public, But Cabinet Split Still Far from Critical Point
Nino Khutsidze, Civil Georgia / 2005-01-09 16:54:32

Despite clear signs of a rift in the Georgian cabinet, spawning from a row between the Defense and State Ministers over corruption allegations in the army, political analysts still say that tensions in the government have not reached a critical point yet.

On January 6, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who suspended his visit to Ukraine, brought Irakli Okruashvili, the Defense Minister, and Giorgi Baramidze, ex-Defense Minister currently serving as a State Minister, together and publicly warned both of them that he will not tolerate disagreements in the cabinet.

“I am not going to tolerate sparring between members of government. Both of you are my friends, but if you want to deal with each other through press conferences, then our door is open and you are free to go, we have no indispensables,” President Saakashvili said during his meeting with the two Ministers.

The cabinet row started on January 4, when Irakli Okruashvili, who replaced Giorgi Baramidze as Defense Minister as a result of a recent cabinet reshuffle in December, convened a news conference and accused several current and former senior Defense Ministry officials of misappropriating funds, adding that he “want[s] to see them in jail within one month.”

In response, former Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze, who is currently the State Minister in charge of the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration issues, convened a news conference of his own on January 6 and publicly accused Okruashvili of “intrigues” against him and of triggering a split in the cabinet. He also presented particular documents in an attempt to dismiss allegations put forth by Okruashvili over a misappropriation of funds, which allegedly took place during the period when Baramidze served as the Defense Minister, between June-December 2004.

The recent cabinet row brought hidden tensions which existed between the so called 'President Saakashvili team', which includes Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili, and the 'Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania team', which includes Giorgi Baramidze, to the surface. The Georgian media has been speculating over these disagreements for a long time, but these speculations were always dismissed by officials as groundless.

Political analyst Ia Antadze says that the recent row was “the first open split [in the government].”

“The political importance of this confrontation was of major importance; it was for the first time when two teams in the government openly confronted each other,” Ia Antadze told Civil Georgia.

Ghia Nodia, of the think-tank Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD), says that it is quite normal when internal disagreements exist in the government. “However, it is very bad when a disagreement turns into a public sparring match between Ministers. It was a dangerous signal for the authorities and it is natural that Saakashvili was prompted to eradicate it and he actually managed to do so,” Ghia Nodia told Civil Georgia.

He said it was no secret that “hidden disagreements” always persisted between Saakashvili and Zhvania, “but neither of them are interested in publicly demonstrating it.”

Political analyst Ia Antadze also says that the existence of two competing groups in the government might be a positive sign. “For the development of democratic processes, especially in Georgia - where there is no influential opposition, where media freedom is restricted, where the judicial system is under the government’s control -the presence of two competing groups inside the cabinet might serve as a positive factor,” Ia Antadze said.

But legal expert and political analyst Davit Usupashvili says that the recent row in the cabinet once again revealed flaws which still persist in the style of management employed by the country’s leadership.

“In practice, there are two power centers in the Georgian government – one led by President Saakashvili and another by Prime Minister Zhvania. Saakashvili, who always has the final say, should ensure a system which will work effectively even in his absence; while Zhvania, if he really wants to be the second person in the country, should not permit similar incidents in the government,” Usupashvili told Civil Georgia.

Observers also say that disagreements between cabinet members increase society’s skepticism towards the government. “A part of the society, which is not well disposed towards the government, was very happy with this incident. But in general this kind of incidents increases [the level of] disappointment in the society,” Ghia Nodia said.

Ghia Nodia says that this recent incident was a particular kind of disagreement. “This kind of single case does not show an overall tendency. If similar cases will occur often in the future, then it will be a clear sign of a split. But President Saakashvili plays the role of a force capable of uniting these groups in the cabinet and I think he will be able to avoid confrontation reaching a critical point,” Ghia Nodia added.

http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=8744

other articles:
Allegations over Misuse of Funds in the Army Triggers Cabinet Row
Minister Accuses Defense Officials of Abuse of Office, Misappropriation of Funds
21:14 03.02.05
Government Affirms it Works in ‘Normal Regime’
20:40 03.02.05
State Minister: Government Remains Committed to its Economic Policy
19:17 03.02.05
President Convenes Emergency Session of Government
18:14 03.02.05
Official Speaks of Details of Zhvania’s Forensic Expertise
17:48 03.02.05
Saakashvili Personally Assumes PM Duties
17:32 03.02.05
Analysts, Politicians Comment on Georgian Politics after Zhvania’s Death
16:19 03.02.05
Russian Foreign Minister Speaks of Zhvania’s Death
14:31 03.02.05
Tskhinvali Concerned over PM’s Death
13:47 03.02.05
Official: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Caused Zhvania’s Death
13:16 03.02.05
Shevardnadze Comments on Zhvania’s Death
© 2003 UNA-Georgia About Civil Georgia : Contact CG

Georgia is no longer in the Russian sphere of influence ever since Saakashvili was elected. The Rose Revolution spearheaded by him snapped the ties wiith Russia. Zhvania, in fact, was in the forefront of this Rose Revolution.

Saakashvili is pro West. In fact, Russia indirectly blames the US for his rise.

http://www.caucaz.com/home_uk/breve_contenu.php?id=112
The Burjanadze-Zhvania-Saakashvili alliance was created around a common objective, to overthrow Chevarnadze. At the beginning of the year, it was feared that this coalition synonymous with renewal would collapse. As of today is it possible to say that a separation is unlikely? Is there, like at the beginning of the year, power struggles between Zhvania and Saakashivili to put their men at key positions?

We cannot foresee what is going to happen. Each one of the three leaders has got his own personality, his own network. Let’s remind that Zhvania created his own political party and that he then offered Burjanadze to join his party. There was a leadership issue.
Zhvania is less popular, but he has very good networks. That’s why he is indispensable to Saakashvili. Obviously disagreements between those two men emerged, at least inside their circles. Several faithful lieutenants of Saakashvili chose to quit after that Saakashvili decided to merge his party with Zhvania’s party.
Saakashvili made the choice of the consensus by allying with Burjanadze and Zhvania. Doing so, he even sacrificed some of his oldest allies.


And yet there do are tensions…

When some of Saakashvili’s allies left him, there were tensions : notably during the revolution with Koba Davitashvili, the secretary general of the National Movement, David Berdzenishvili of the Republican party and some nationalists such as Zviad Dzidziguri. They left Saakashvili’s political party and went to the Opposition. And yet today they do not criticize Saakashvili a lot, and even less the Prime Minister Zhvania.

But, to unify is still the priority for the time being. Saakashvili would not act carefully if he was to dismiss Zhvania or Burjanadze : they would be much more dangerous in the Opposition. Secondly, Zhvania and Burjanadze keep on silencing their allies the most radical toward Saakashvili, and also prioritirize the consensus. As the next parliamentary or presidential elections draw nearer, there might be a separation. But at the present time they do everything to not show any divergence.



Translated by Marie Anderson

Originally Posted by MIKEMUN

I thought Georgia was in Europe??

Anyway,the Russian media has been saying that no foul play is suspected..

It appears that there is no foul play here, but if there was I doubt that the Russian media would report it.

Hidden Tensions Become Public, But Cabinet Split Still Far from Critical Point
Nino Khutsidze, Civil Georgia / 2005-01-09 16:54:32

Despite clear signs of a rift in the Georgian cabinet, spawning from a row between the Defense and State Ministers over corruption allegations in the army, political analysts still say that tensions in the government have not reached a critical point yet.

On January 6, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who suspended his visit to Ukraine, brought Irakli Okruashvili, the Defense Minister, and Giorgi Baramidze, ex-Defense Minister currently serving as a State Minister, together and publicly warned both of them that he will not tolerate disagreements in the cabinet.

“I am not going to tolerate sparring between members of government. Both of you are my friends, but if you want to deal with each other through press conferences, then our door is open and you are free to go, we have no indispensables,” President Saakashvili said during his meeting with the two Ministers.

The cabinet row started on January 4, when Irakli Okruashvili, who replaced Giorgi Baramidze as Defense Minister as a result of a recent cabinet reshuffle in December, convened a news conference and accused several current and former senior Defense Ministry officials of misappropriating funds, adding that he “want[s] to see them in jail within one month.”

In response, former Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze, who is currently the State Minister in charge of the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration issues, convened a news conference of his own on January 6 and publicly accused Okruashvili of “intrigues” against him and of triggering a split in the cabinet. He also presented particular documents in an attempt to dismiss allegations put forth by Okruashvili over a misappropriation of funds, which allegedly took place during the period when Baramidze served as the Defense Minister, between June-December 2004.

The recent cabinet row brought hidden tensions which existed between the so called 'President Saakashvili team', which includes Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili, and the 'Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania team', which includes Giorgi Baramidze, to the surface. The Georgian media has been speculating over these disagreements for a long time, but these speculations were always dismissed by officials as groundless.

Political analyst Ia Antadze says that the recent row was “the first open split [in the government].”

“The political importance of this confrontation was of major importance; it was for the first time when two teams in the government openly confronted each other,” Ia Antadze told Civil Georgia.

Ghia Nodia, of the think-tank Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD), says that it is quite normal when internal disagreements exist in the government. “However, it is very bad when a disagreement turns into a public sparring match between Ministers. It was a dangerous signal for the authorities and it is natural that Saakashvili was prompted to eradicate it and he actually managed to do so,” Ghia Nodia told Civil Georgia.

He said it was no secret that “hidden disagreements” always persisted between Saakashvili and Zhvania, “but neither of them are interested in publicly demonstrating it.”

Political analyst Ia Antadze also says that the existence of two competing groups in the government might be a positive sign. “For the development of democratic processes, especially in Georgia - where there is no influential opposition, where media freedom is restricted, where the judicial system is under the government’s control -the presence of two competing groups inside the cabinet might serve as a positive factor,” Ia Antadze said.

But legal expert and political analyst Davit Usupashvili says that the recent row in the cabinet once again revealed flaws which still persist in the style of management employed by the country’s leadership.

“In practice, there are two power centers in the Georgian government – one led by President Saakashvili and another by Prime Minister Zhvania. Saakashvili, who always has the final say, should ensure a system which will work effectively even in his absence; while Zhvania, if he really wants to be the second person in the country, should not permit similar incidents in the government,” Usupashvili told Civil Georgia.

Observers also say that disagreements between cabinet members increase society’s skepticism towards the government. “A part of the society, which is not well disposed towards the government, was very happy with this incident. But in general this kind of incidents increases [the level of] disappointment in the society,” Ghia Nodia said.

Ghia Nodia says that this recent incident was a particular kind of disagreement. “This kind of single case does not show an overall tendency. If similar cases will occur often in the future, then it will be a clear sign of a split. But President Saakashvili plays the role of a force capable of uniting these groups in the cabinet and I think he will be able to avoid confrontation reaching a critical point,” Ghia Nodia added.

http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=8744

other articles:
Allegations over Misuse of Funds in the Army Triggers Cabinet Row
Minister Accuses Defense Officials of Abuse of Office, Misappropriation of Funds
21:14 03.02.05
Government Affirms it Works in ‘Normal Regime’
20:40 03.02.05
State Minister: Government Remains Committed to its Economic Policy
19:17 03.02.05
President Convenes Emergency Session of Government
18:14 03.02.05
Official Speaks of Details of Zhvania’s Forensic Expertise
17:48 03.02.05
Saakashvili Personally Assumes PM Duties
17:32 03.02.05
Analysts, Politicians Comment on Georgian Politics after Zhvania’s Death
16:19 03.02.05
Russian Foreign Minister Speaks of Zhvania’s Death
14:31 03.02.05
Tskhinvali Concerned over PM’s Death
13:47 03.02.05
Official: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Caused Zhvania’s Death
13:16 03.02.05
Shevardnadze Comments on Zhvania’s Death
© 2003 UNA-Georgia About Civil Georgia : Contact CG

Georgia is no longer in the Russian sphere of influence ever since Saakashvili was elected. The Rose Revolution spearheaded by him snapped the ties wiith Russia. Zhvania, in fact, was in the forefront of this Rose Revolution.

Saakashvili is pro West. In fact, Russia indirectly blames the US for his rise.

Interview with Thornike Gordadze, specialist on Georgia and the nation-making in post-soviet Caucasus. He is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the Center for International Studies and Research (CERI – Institute of Political Sciences Paris).
By Célia CHAUFFOUR in Paris
On 22/11/2004


http://www.caucaz.com/home_uk/breve_contenu.php?id=112
The Burjanadze-Zhvania-Saakashvili alliance was created around a common objective, to overthrow Chevarnadze. At the beginning of the year, it was feared that this coalition synonymous with renewal would collapse. As of today is it possible to say that a separation is unlikely? Is there, like at the beginning of the year, power struggles between Zhvania and Saakashivili to put their men at key positions?

We cannot foresee what is going to happen. Each one of the three leaders has got his own personality, his own network. Let’s remind that Zhvania created his own political party and that he then offered Burjanadze to join his party. There was a leadership issue.
Zhvania is less popular, but he has very good networks. That’s why he is indispensable to Saakashvili. Obviously disagreements between those two men emerged, at least inside their circles. Several faithful lieutenants of Saakashvili chose to quit after that Saakashvili decided to merge his party with Zhvania’s party.
Saakashvili made the choice of the consensus by allying with Burjanadze and Zhvania. Doing so, he even sacrificed some of his oldest allies.


And yet there do are tensions…

When some of Saakashvili’s allies left him, there were tensions : notably during the revolution with Koba Davitashvili, the secretary general of the National Movement, David Berdzenishvili of the Republican party and some nationalists such as Zviad Dzidziguri. They left Saakashvili’s political party and went to the Opposition. And yet today they do not criticize Saakashvili a lot, and even less the Prime Minister Zhvania.

But, to unify is still the priority for the time being. Saakashvili would not act carefully if he was to dismiss Zhvania or Burjanadze : they would be much more dangerous in the Opposition. Secondly, Zhvania and Burjanadze keep on silencing their allies the most radical toward Saakashvili, and also prioritirize the consensus. As the next parliamentary or presidential elections draw nearer, there might be a separation. But at the present time they do everything to not show any divergence.



Translated by Marie Anderson