By empty (1/29/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Kyrgyz parliament today overwhelmingly confirmed Azim Isabekov for the post of prime minister, RFE/RL\'s Kyrgyz Service reported. Isabekov, who has served as agriculture minister since May, was President Kurmanbek Bakiev\'s second nominee -- the parliament has twice rejected outgoing Prime Minister Feliks Kulov. The vote for Isabekov was 57 to four.

By empty (1/27/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

In an interview with Ekho Moskvy pegged to the third anniversary of his inauguration as president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili said Georgia is ready to offer Russia \"our friendly attitude and readiness for dialogue.\" \"You will find us pragmatic and flexible interlocutors if you [agree to] talk to us,\" he added. He said the governments of both countries bear \"great responsibility\" for not destroying the \"tradition of friendship\" between them.

By empty (1/26/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Moscow\'s Presnensky Raion Court rejected on January 25 the first of 42 claims filed by residents of the village of Borozdinovskaya in northeastern Chechnya against the Defense Ministry, the daily \"Kommersant\" reported on January 25. Each of the plaintiffs is demanding 3 million rubles ($113,000) compensation for material damage incurred during a search operation conducted in June 2005 by members of the Defense Ministry\'s Vostok battalion. The Moscow district court noted that the Chechen government has already made compensation payments of 350,000 rubles to the owners of four houses in Borozdinovskaya that were burned down, while the remaining households received 200,000 rubles.