GEORGIA HIRING 1,000 ESL INSTRUCTORS
15 September
Georgia has embarked on an ambitious program to staff public schools with 1,000 native English speaking teachers by the end of 2010. As the first state sponsored ESL program in Eastern Europe, this is a top priority for President Mikheil Saakashvili's government to prepare Georgian youth to take part in the global economy. The first group of 50 teachers arrived in Georgia on July 30th. The President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, met with the second group of 102 native English on August 15th. "The main requirement is to make Georgian children of 5-16 ages the English language speakers. We will achieve this goal in following 4 years; this will give Georgia opportunity to make next steps for the development in the Post-Soviet area in the future decades," announced the President at the meeting with the foreign teachers in Batumi. This program builds upon Georgia's internationally recognized success in education - in January 2010 Georgia was awarded Vice-Presidency of UNESCO's International Bureau of Education. The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia commenced work on this initiative in early 2010 and in May 2010 Footprints Recruiting, a Vancouver, Canada based recruiting company, was contracted to supply teachers for this project. Footprints CEO Ben Glickman traveled to Tbilisi and signed a contract with Director Gia Mamulashvili of the Teacher Professional Development Center on May 17th, 2010. "This is a great opportunity for recent graduates to gain valuable teaching experience while waiting for the domestic job market to improve," Mr. Glickman stated. With the recession, ESL job opportunities have become more competitive in traditional markets such as Korea and Japan. ESL teachers in Georgia are not required to have any teaching experience. Although the monthly stipend - 500 Georgian Lari - is modest by western standards, the benefits of free airfare, free housing, teaching experience, and a cross cultural make the experience worthwhile for many applicants. "Georgia rocks. This experience so far has been amazing." Stated Joanne O'Malley, a Footprints teacher in Georgia. Footprints recruits ESL teachers for the Ministries of Education in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Georgia as well as private sector companies in countries worldwide. (PRNewswire)
CHECHEN SEPARATIST ZAKAYEV ARRESTED IN POLAND
17 September
One of Russia's most wanted men — a charismatic Chechen activist who counts Vanessa Redgrave among his supporters — was arrested in Poland Friday on Russian charges related to Chechnya's separatist war of the 1990s, but later set free. Akhmed Zakayev faces charges of murder, kidnapping and terrorism. Zakayev, who was granted asylum in Britain years ago, maintains the accusations are trumped up and defiantly told Radio Free Europe the day before his arrest that he was in Poland "absolutely legally" and would not hide from authorities. The Kremlin casts the dapper activist as a dangerous guerrilla mastermind. The 51-year-old was apprehended "without any trouble" as he left a home in Warsaw early in the day and turned over to prosecutors, national police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said. On Friday evening a Warsaw regional court released Zakayev, who was in Warsaw to attend an international conference on Chechnya. Prosecutors had sought to extend his detention. Conference organizer Adam Borowski said the court decision meant Zakayev would stay in Poland pending a court decision on whether he can be extradited. However, court spokesman Wojciech Malek said the ruling means Zakayev is free to leave Poland if he wants. Prosecutors can appeal the decision within seven days. It was unclear when any decision on a possible extradition might be made. Prosecutors' spokeswoman Monika Lewandowska said prosecutors have not yet received a formal extradition request from Russia. Zakayev walked out of the court and told reporters he would attend the conference's final day Saturday, but didn't talk about his plans beyond that. Zakayev — who with his silver beard and impeccable tailoring looks more the diplomat or professor than guerrilla fighter — appeared relaxed in a crisp white shirt and suit as he arrived in a police car at the prosecutor's office. "I am not expecting anything that would violate the rules of the law," he told television cameras upon his arrival. "Poland is a democratic, law abiding nation. When I learned that there will be no problems I decided to come." The arrest came as a surprise to many in Poland — which has prided itself on supporting the spread of independence and democracy by offering support to activists abroad, including from Chechnya, ever since it broke free of Moscow's influence in 1989 and triggered similar upheavals across Eastern Europe. The detention came at a time when relations between Moscow and Warsaw are beginning to thaw. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is scheduled to visit Poland later this year as a sign of a "new start" in bilateral relations that offer a huge potential in all fields, the Russian ambassador has said. If Zakayev is not turned over to Moscow, the diplomatic bridge-building could run into trouble. In 2002, both Denmark and Britain experienced a cooling of ties with Russia after they rejected similar requests to extradite Zakayev. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said before the arrest that police would be legally bound to pick Zakayev up if he showed up for the World Chechen Congress because there was an international warrant for his arrest distributed by Interpol. Later, however, he indicated that Poland was not prepared to send Zakayev to Russia just to keep Moscow happy. Zakayev will be treated "in accordance with our understanding of Poland's interests and with our sense of decency and justice, and we will not be trying to meet anybody's expectations," Tusk said. Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov brushed aside Zakayev's comments saying "he is a good actor and behaving like one," and called for his prompt return to Russia. "By law, he needs to be given a life sentence," Kadyrov said according to Russian news agencies. "This is what I think. Killing him or something else would be a pleasure to him. He needs to be jailed for life, so that he sees what he did." (AP)
OSCE TRAINING KYRGYZ FORCES
20 September
Hundreds of volunteers in southern Kyrgyzstan took part in a one-day training course for citizen patrols, a delegate from the OSCE said Monday from Bishkek. Lilian Darii, the deputy head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe mission to Bishkek, said volunteer forces were able to add another layer of security in the south the country. "During the last few months voluntary citizen patrols demonstrated their solid contribution in supporting the police to restore and maintain public order across the country," she said in a statement. "I hope that OSCE support during this pre-electoral period will further contribute to enhancing stability in the country." Violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern cities of Osh and Jalal Abad killed at least 350 people in the wake of an April coup that brought Roza Otunbayeva to power as the interim president. Otunbayeva threatened to postpone parliamentary elections scheduled for October if ethnic violence broke out again in the south."We are now planning to engage citizen patrols during and after parliamentary elections to help the police in maintaining law and order in all parts of the country," said Shamshybek Mamyrov, the deputy head for voluntary citizen patrols in Kyrgyzstan. (UPI)
UZBEKISTAN URGES INVESTIGATION OF KYRGYZSTAN UNREST
20 September
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov called on Monday for an independent international investigation of the June ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan that sent more than 100,000 refugees into his country. In text of remarks to a U.N. development summit, Karimov said such an investigation was the only way to promote reconciliation between the ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks who each make up roughly half of the population in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Nearly 400 people were killed in several days of violence, which began on June 10 and were triggered by attacks by unidentified people in balaclavas. Unofficial estimates place the death toll much higher. Many victims were shot and some, including women and children, were burned inside their homes. Earlier this year, the New York-based Human Rights Watch nonprofit group said some Kyrgyz government troops took part in mob attacks against Uzbeks and that a brutal official probe into the violence was making matters worse. Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic that hosts both U.S. and Russian military air bases, has struggled to assert control over southern parts of the country since assuming power following a popular revolt on April 7. "I am convinced that the timely holding of objective and independent international investigations which rule out any prejudice and one-sided approach ... can pave the way to reconciliation and accord between the Kyrgyz and Uzbek minority in the south of Kyrgyzstan," Karimov said. He said violence could erupt anew without such an investigation. Karimov rejected calls for an international investigation into Uzbekistan's handling of a 2005 riot in the town of Andizhan where, according to witnesses, government troops killed hundreds of protesters. (Reuters)
KAZAKH ACTIVISTS ALLEGE THEY WERE 'KEPT FROM TRAVELING TO ALMATY'
23 September
Activists of the unregistered Kazakh opposition party Forward (Algha) were unable to travel to Almaty today for a discussion on organizing a referendum seeking President Nursultan Nazarbaev's resignation, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. Adilzhan Kenzhegaliev, a coordinator for Algha's Atyrau branch, told RFE/RL that 15 party activists who planned to travel by train to Almaty could not do so as their seats were occupied by other passengers with valid tickets. The activists planned to go to Almaty to take part in a discussion organized by Algha on initiating a referendum asking people whether Nazarbaev should resign. The discussion is scheduled for September 25. Kenzhegaliev said Kazakhstan's security services have organized the double-ticketing situation to prevent the activists from attending the Almaty event. Also today, a court in Atyrau fined two Algha activists $35 each for resisting police. Almagul Dzhirenshieva and Raikhan Kenzhegulova were detained by police as they prepared to leave Atyrau for Almaty earlier this week. (RFE/RL)
REGIONAL ANTI-TERRORISM DRILLS ENTER ACTIVE STAGE IN KAZAKHSTAN
24 September
Joint anti-terrorism exercises of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Peace Mission 2010, enter their active phase on Friday at the Matybulak range in southeast Kazakhstan. The 17-day drills, which began on September 9, are aimed at testing the interoperability of the SCO armed forces in rendering assistance to a member state involved in an internal armed conflict or subjected to a terrorist attack. The exercises involve some 5,000 servicemen from five of the six SCO member states - Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan has chosen not to take part. More than 300 military vehicles and over 50 combat aircraft and helicopters from Kazakhstan, China and Russia are employed. Established in 2001 as a non-military alliance, the regional mutual security group SCO was initially aimed at dealing with Islamic extremism and other security threats in Central Asia, but has since expanded its scope to include cooperation in disaster relief and trade. (RIA Novosti)
AT LEAST 42 INJURED IN SUICIDE BOMBING IN RUSSIA'S NORTH CAUCASUS
25 September
Russian media reports say a suicide bomber has blown himself up in the republic of Daghestan, injuring at least 42 people, including several police officers.The bomber broke through a police cordon in the capital, Makhachkala, where security officers were battling militia fighters. At least two Islamist rebels were killed in that incident. On September 24, at least five suspected Islamist terrorists, including a woman, were killed in Daghestan. Daghestan has been the scene of bloody clashes between forces loyal to Moscow, criminal gangs, and Islamists striving for independence from Russia. The region is plagued by almost daily violence. (RFE/RL)
TAJIK SPECIAL SERVICES KILL ANOTHER SUSPECTED MILITANT WEEK AFTER DEADLY AMBUSH
26 September
A "foreign mercenary," who reportedly took part in a deadly ambush on Tajik troops a week ago, has been killed in an ongoing special operation in eastern Tajikistan, the republic's state TV reported. According to the TV report, the suspected militant was in possession of an assault rifle, as well as plans of future terrorist attacks and a bomb-making manual. The militant's name and country of origin was not disclosed for investigation purposes. It was earlier reported that mercenaries from Pakistan and Afghanistan took part in the attack, which left some two dozens of servicemen dead, RIA Novosti reported. According to official reports, 25 people were killed and 14 seriously injured on September 19 when they were ambushed in a remote Tajik valley. Three people later succumbed to their injuries, and 11 remain in hospital. The operation against militant leaders Abdullo Rakhimov, Mirzokhudzha Akhmadov and Alovuddin Davlatov, who are blamed for the attack, began in eastern Tajikistan on Wednesday. Eight suspected militants have been killed so far. (Trend)
SAAKASHVILI: GEORGIA 'NOT FIXATED ONLY' ON NATO
26 September
President Saakashvili said Georgia still aspired to join the NATO, but said Tbilisi was not "fixated" on that goal.
Asked during an interview with Al Jazeera's English-language channel whether he was optimistic that Georgia would join NATO by 2013, when his second and final presidential term expires, Saakashvili responded: "We never made any deadlines." After the NATO Bucharest Summit in April, 2008, Saakashvili announced: "I am sure that we will become a NATO member before my presidential term expires [in 2013].” In the interview with Al Jazeera's David Frost, Saakashvili also said that although Georgia's aspiration remained to join the NATO, a difficult geopolitical conditions in the region should also be taken into consideration. "You should realize that we are a small country in the middle of very complicated geopolitical region," he said. "We are strategically an important country... there are lots of political factors in play." "Of course we did not change our mind [in respect of NATO aspiration], but on the other hand, we are developing relations with all the other countries in the region. We are developing relations with the countries to the south, with other former Soviet countries - countries like Ukraine; in Central Asia, Caspian [region]; Turkey and the European Union; we started Association Agreement talks with the European Union... We signed strategic relations treaty with the United States." "So we are not fixated only on one goal, there are many other things," Saakashvili added. "Of course we never gave up our aspirations - we want to be members of a serious club, we want to have secured future." During the interview, Saakashvili was also asked whether he intended to remain in power as PM, after expiration of his presidential term. In his response Saakashvili used the similar formulation he usually applies to when speaking on the matter. He said that he was "not concentrated on what happens after 2013", instead he was focused on implementation of his goal of making economic and political reforms irreversible before 2013 and also added that he would do his best to keep his team of reforms and "ideology of reforms" in power after his presidential term expires. "How can I help to keep it - I'll decide that when the time approaches," he added. (Civil Georgia)
AFGHAN PRESIDENT KARZAI'S BROTHER TARGETED IN U.S. INVESTIGATION
27 September
U.S. prosecutors have launched a criminal probe of one of the brothers of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to determine whether he should be charged with tax evasion, racketeering, or extortion, according to unnamed sources quoted in "The Wall Street Journal." The paper notes that "any move to indict Mahmood Karzai, who is a U.S. citizen, carries huge risks for American officials, whose anticorruption efforts have often provoked sharp backlashes from President Karzai." U.S. authorities are quoted as saying that the investigation into the activities of Mahmood Karzai, the president's oldest brother, is a result of a corruption probe being conducted by federal prosecutors in New York. Mahmood Karzai denied any wrongdoing, saying, "They won't find anything; I'm just a businessman," according to the paper. Any decision on whether to prosecute under U.S. jurisdiction would rest ultimately with the Justice Department. Mahmood Karzai ran a restaurant in Massachussetts before 2001, but has expanded his interests to include a one-fifth stake in a major housing development outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, according to "The Wall Street Journal." He was also a shareholder in Kabul Bank, which was Afghanistan's largest privately held bank until authorities took it over amid a run on the bank after reports that it had been gutted by corruption and risky investments. Another presidential brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, is a prominent politician in the Kandahar area who has been targeted by persistent allegations of corruption and purported involvement in the drug trade. He has denied any wrongdoing and said such charges are the result of politically motivated grudges.
Afghan anticorruption authorities' detention of presidential aide Mohammad Zia Salehi this summer reportedly sparked ill will between Karzai and U.S. officials, who have pushed hard for greater accountability by Kabul with billions of dollars in aid pouring into Afghanistan. (RFE/RL)
KAZAKHSTAN PROPOSES DECLARATION OF DENUCLEARIZED WORLD
27 September
Kazakhstan has suggested creating Universal Declaration of a Denuclearized World and the new currency. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kanat Saudabaev, informed the delegates of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly on September 25, the agency reports citing the United Nations Radio. Creation of the new denuclearized zones, including in the Near East, will become one more step towards a world free from nuclear weapons, K. Saudabaev said. This initiative would promote achievement of trust between neighbors in this region and has laid the foundation for fundamental change of the situation in the Near East. "I confirm from a high tribune of the United Nations the urgency and necessity of the initiatives of the President of Kazakhstan, N. Nazarbayev, regarding creation of Universal Declaration of a Denuclearized World, which would embody determination of all states to move towards a denuclearized world," K. Saudabaev said. (Kazakhstan Today)
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL TO VISIT GEORGIA THIS WEEK
27 September
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will pay an official visit to Georgia on Thursday to discuss cooperation issues, Georgian deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze said on Monday. Rasmussen is due to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Nikoloz Gilauri, Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and parliamentary speaker David Bakradze. Talks will focus on issues of bilateral interest which emerged during the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) held in June, Kalandadze said. NATO and Georgia established the commission in September 2008, to oversee the organization's assistance to Georgia following the August conflict between Tbilisi and Moscow over South Ossetia, and to oversee Georgia's drive to join the military alliance."It is important that... we will have an opportunity to formalize all those tricky and important issues with the secretary general," she said, adding that accession to NATO remains a priority in her country's foreign policy. Georgia has long been pursuing NATO membership, but its bid was turned down due to pressure from Germany and France at a 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest. However, NATO has stated that the country will join at an unspecified date in the future. (RIA Novosti)
NATO AIR STRIKES KILL 'AT LAST 30 MILITANTS' IN PAKISTAN
27 September
NATO officials today said alliance air strikes had killed at least 30 militants in Pakistan. U.S. Captian Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, justified the attack as an act of "self-defense" after insurgents reportedly attacked an Afghan security outpost on September 25 in Khost Province, which borders Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area. ISAF helicopters were dispatched to chase the insurgents, who allegedly crossed the border into Pakistan. Officials say the helicopters were attacked while returning form Pakistan, prompted another air strike near the Afghan border that NATO says killed several militants. (RFE/RL)
PAKISTAN PROTESTS NATO AIR STRIKES ON ITS TERRITORY
28 September
Pakistan has criticized a pair of NATO air strikes on its territory, saying they were a violation of its sovereignty. NATO helicopters in eastern Afghanistan launched air strikes into Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area on September 25, reportedly killing more than 50 militants after an outpost near the border came under attack from insurgents. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the mandate of foreign troops in Afghanistan ends at the Afghan border.It said that unless corrective measures are implemented, Islamabad would have to "consider response options."The complaints come as the "New York Times" reports that U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan this month have been higher than any previous month, with 20 strikes so far in September. (RFE/RL)
KYRGYZ CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION ACCREDITED 91 INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS
28 September
Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan accredited 91 international observers for the parliamentary elections will be held on October, 2010, news agency "24.kg" reported. Extraodinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Frederico S.Duque Estrada Meyer will also monitor upcoming elections, Central Election Commission reports. Central Election Commission specifies that they have accredited international observers sent by Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Eurasian Economic Community, International Association "Election&Democracy", mission ODIHR. Note: besides international observers over 1 thousand 500 local observers will monitor the parliamentary elections. (Trend)
AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT THANKS UZBEKISTAN FOR ITS POSITION ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
28 September
Uzbekistan's position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very important for Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a briefing after an intergovernmental meeting during an official visit to Tashkent. "I have already spoken about it and once again I want to emphasize that we are very grateful for the principled, consistent and firm position of Uzbekistan to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and solve all conflicts within the norms and principles of international law," the Azerbaijani president said. Uzbek President Islam Karimov once again confirmed the unchanged position of Tashkent on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue during the negotiations. Uzbekistan has consistently advocated and continues to advocate for a peaceful, political settlement of the long-standing conflict. The main condition for the settlement is the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, he said. He recalled that the vote on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict held in the UN General Assembly in 2008 had strengthened the international position of Azerbaijan and was a moment of truth. "As a person who treats Uzbekistan and the fraternal Uzbek people with great sympathy and love, I was pleased that Uzbekistan was among those countries that were close to us," Aliyev said. "Our countries were formed as independent self-sufficient countries that determine their own destiny and seek regional cooperation. Our countries provided internal stability for economic development and social benefits, and seek to establish peace around us. It is impossible to feel safe if a flame burns around you," Aliyev said. He said that a disaster in Central Asia had been avoided thanks to Karimov's personal efforts. "It demonstrates once again Uzbekistan's important role not only regionally but also globally. Today everything is so interconnected that the security of a region becomes a matter of global security," Aliyev said.
Returning to the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was recognized by the world. "Nagorno-Karabakh was recognized by the entire world and the United Nations an integral part of Azerbaijan. The restoration of territorial integrity is essential to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said. People's right to self-determination as promoted by Armenia can be successfully implemented within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Aliyev said. The Helsinki Final Act states that people's right to self-determination must not violate the territorial integrity of countries. Moreover, the Armenian people gained independence in Azerbaijani historical lands. A second Armenian state in Azerbaijani historical lands is absolutely unacceptable. "We will make every effort to restore the territorial integrity of our country. We are in the negotiation process. We have a constructive approach and expect the same constructivism from the Armenian side to achieve settlement. Nobody will gain by stalling the conflict. I think that all countries are interested in its settlement, which would fully comply with the norms and principles of international law," Aliyev said. (Trend)
VILLAGE HEAD, 3 POLICE KILLED IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA
28 September
The Interior Ministry says a regional administrator and three police officers have been killed by gunmen in a restive province in southern Russia. The ministry's branch in the province of Dagestan said the local administrator in the village of Kakamakhi was shot dead in his office Tuesday. Local police spokesman Magomed Tagirov said that, in another attack later Tuesday, three gunmen drove to a cafe in the town of Izberbash where several local police officers were sitting and sprayed them with automatic gunfire. He said three policemen were killed and two others were hospitalized with grave wounds. Dagestan and other southern provinces have been plagued by attacks and bombings by Islamic militants who have spread across the region after two separatist wars in neighbouring Chechnya. (AP)
FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENT'S NEPHEW TO STAND TRIAL
29 September
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan say the nephew of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev is to stand trial in connection with deadly interethnic violence there in June, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Prosecutor-General's Office spokesman Kubanych Sabyrov told RFE/RL the investigation of Sanjar Bakiev -- who is a son of the former president's eldest brother, Jusup Bakiev -- has been completed and he will face trial. Sanjar Bakiev and five associates were arrested earlier this summer. They were charged with organizing an armed group, illegally seizing state buildings, instigating ethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Jalal-Abad in June, and the illegal purchase and possession of weapons and ammunition. A group formed after the president fled into exile, the Bishkek-based Committee to Protect Kurmanbek Bakiev, has rejected all the charges against Sanjar Bakiev and his associates as groundless. Kurmanbek Bakiev has been living in Belarus since he was ousted in the wake of deadly clashes between antigovernment demonstrators and security forces on April 7. He, several of his brothers, and two sons are wanted by Kyrgyz officials for abuse of power, financial crimes, and giving the order to open fire on unarmed demonstrators. (RFE/RL)
U.S. UNVEILS 'RIGHTS SANCTIONS' AGAINST IRAN
29 September
The United States has announced unprecedented economic sanctions aimed at punishing eight Iranian officials for human rights abuses since last year's disputed elections. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced the measures, saying the goal was "acute" and "severe" economic consequences for actions by those officials during the postelection crackdown. President Barack Obama's executive order represents the first time Washington has targeted Iran with sanctions over perceived rights violations against its own citizens. Geithner said that the narrow scope of the move makes it "much harder...to get around this."The sanctions ban Americans from doing business with Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and the current minister of intelligence, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, among others. The new order also freezes any U.S. assets held by the eight officials, all of them either current or former members of the government or its security forces. The U.S. Treasury Department issued a statement saying the officials in question "share responsibility" for excessive violence used against protesters -- some of which resulted in death -- during mass demonstrations against the June 2009 election results.The White House called human rights "a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity for the United States" and said the United States "will always stand with those in Iran who aspire to have their voices heard."Iranian authorities responded to huge street protests after Mahmud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in the June 2009 presidential election with brutal sweeps, thousands of detentions, and mass televised trials. Opposition leaders and rights groups have alleged that detainees have been subjected to abuses that include physical and psychological torture and rape. In addition to Jafari and Najar, the individuals singled out in the executive order are: Minister of Welfare and Security and former Minister of the Interior Sadeq Mahsouli; Prosecutor-General and former Minister of Intelligence Qolam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei; former Prosecutor-General of Tehran Said Mortazavi; Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi; the deputy chief of Iran's National Police, Ahmad-Reza Radan; and Hossein Taeb, deputy IRGC Commander for Intelligence and former Commander of IRGC's Basij Forces. (RFE/RL)
IRAN UNVEILS FIRST HYBRID VEHICLE
29 September
Auto-making giant Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) has unveiled its first hybrid vehicle, in a move aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels. "In line with the nation's Automotive Policy Council Bill, IKCO has decided to develop hybrid technology," a press release quoted the company's deputy CEO Mir Javad Soleimani as saying on Wednesday. IKCO's hybrid Samand LX will hit the market in March. Soleimani added that Iran Khodro Powertrain Co. (IPCO) experts have played a significant role in achieving this goal. "Hybrid vehicles receive a part of their required power from electric engines and the rest from internal combustion," he noted adding, "hybrid vehicles are produced in three categories: micro-hybrid, mild hybrid and macro-hybrid. IKCO products are categorized under micro ones." "Fuel-saving degree in hybrid cars varies depending on traffic situation, but normally it is between 12 and 30 percent," Soleimani explained. "IKCO hybrid cars with EF7 engines meet Euro IV standard requirements." IKCO was founded in 1962 and is currently regarded as the biggest carmaker in the Middle East. The automaker made 688,000 passenger cars in 2009. (presstv.ir)
TBILISI SAYS RUSSIAN TROOPS SEIZE FARMLANDS ADJACENT TO S.OSSETIA WHILE RUSSIAN TROOPS BASED IN TSKHINVALI DENY ALLEGATIONS
29 September
Russian troops in breakaway South Ossetia are conducting, what they call, “border demarcation” and in the process grabbing plots of land on the Georgian-controlled territories, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said in a statement on September 29. “Russian occupational forces started to seize additional territory and move forward the line of occupation in Shida Kartli region,” it said. “Russian FSB [Federal Security Service] troops are conducting illegal ‘border demarcation works’ by putting steel poles in villages [of] Kvemo Nikozi, Zemo Nikozi, Ditsi, Arbo and Kordi.” The Interior Ministry said that 25 hectares of farmland was occupied by the Russian troops in Kvemo Nikozi, south from Tskhinvali. It also said that houses of three local families, as well as pastures, irrigation canal and a water well “have been placed on the other side of the illegal ‘demarcation line’” in the village of Ditsi; 5 hectares of farmland in the village of Arbo and half hectare of land in the village of Kordi have also been grabbed, according to the Interior Ministry. A spokesperson of EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) told Civil.ge that situation on the ground was “calm and quiet”. The spokesperson also said the mission was not able at this stage to report on details as EUMM monitors were currently “looking into the situation”. Tskhinvali-based border guard forces of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) have denied Tbilisi's allegation of seizing plots of land on the Georgian-controlled territories adjacent to breakaway South Ossetia. "The Russian forces are not conducting any demarcation works on the South Ossetian border with Georgia," a brief statement, posted on a website of the breakaway region's authorities, said. (Civil Georgia)
AZERBAIJAN REJECTS VERSIONS OF MADRID DOCUMENT ON KARABAKH –ARMENIAN OFFICIAL
29 September
Azerbaijan has rejected both versions of the Madrid document on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said."After intensive negotiations conducted over the past few months, the latest version of the Madrid principles was proposed to the parties in St. Petersburg in June. Armenia said it accepts the proposal as the foundation for negotiations as it was done in connection with the first version in November 2007. However, Azerbaijan rejected both versions," Nalbandian said in a speech given in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. The minister said the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group had presented the Madrid document to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November 2007, and over two dozen working proposals were later based on it, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Interfax. Nalbandian said Azerbaijan had said it accepted one of the working versions of the document with certain exemptions."However, it turned out that there are more exceptions than there are rules. What does Azerbaijan expect" Does it expect Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to approve the exceptions approved by Baku? I'm getting the impression that Azerbaijan is not willing to hear what the international community is saying to them through the co-chairmen," Nalbandian said. Nalbandian also said Azerbaijan has violated its duties to observe a ceasefire agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area for 15 years. "On May 12, 1994, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh signed a truce agreement, and an agreement on the strengthening of the truce regime was signed on February 4, 1995, which required Baku to refrain from provocations and statements. Azerbaijan continues to reject calls from the OSCE co-chairmen and the UN secretary-general to strengthen the truce regime and remove spinners from the contact line," Nalbandian said. The Armenian foreign minister also said "such a stance cannot promote the formation of a favorable atmosphere for peaceful settlement." (Interfax)