Daily News December 23, 2002	Days:  19 20 23 24 25

politics

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PRESIDENT SHEVARDNADZE AND EX-SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT RESUMES

Today commenting on a meeting with Zurab Zhvania, the ex-speaker of Parliament and current leader of United Democrats, President Eduard Shevardnadze said that there had been a “constructive dialogue” between them.

According to President, they considered the current situation in the country and a new proposal launched by United Democrats to bring minimum wages in line with a subsistence level.




US WILL NOT DIMINISH ITS ATTENTION TO GEORGIA, NEW RIGHTS SAY

According to David Gamkrelidze and Irakli Batiashvili, the New Rights leaders, despite the hovering armed confrontation in the Near East, the US administration will not diminish its attention towards Georgia. This is the conclusion the MPs arrived at during their visits to the US (December 2-12) and Israel (December 16-20), the results of which were briefed on during today’s press conference.




SEVEN POLITICAL PARTIES SIGN CODE OF CONDUCT DURING ELECTIONS

The code of conduct was signed today at the representation of the National-Democratic Institute (NDI) by leaders of the seven parties – National Movement, National-Democratic Party, New Rights, United Democrats,Sakhalkho (Popular), Traditionalists and Christian-Democratic Alliance. The document comprises nine articles regarding conduct of political forces during elections.

economics

GEORGIAN POWER SYSTEM WORKS IN AN ISOLATED REGIME

Yesterday Kavkasioni high voltage line, through which electricity is imported from Russia, had been damaged by a gunshot, said Shota Maisuradze, head of JSC Gruzrosenergo. Therefore, Georgia is unable to get 100 mW passed through it.

business

QUESTION OF VARTSIKHEHES REPAIRS WILL SHORTLY BE SOLVED

Mikheil Antadze, a representative of the Fuel and Energy Ministry, said both problems that had been in the way of starting VartsikheHES (the hydro-electric station) repairs by Terna (the Greek company) had been solved and KfW (the German credit bank), which had disbursed a credit of $30 million, would be informed that the agreement terms had been met.

Antadze said in September 10 million debt of the HES had been restructured and about a month earlier Terna had concluded an agreement with the electricity dispatching service on electricity exports to Turkey.




AES TELASI SEEMS UNABLE TO CONCLUDE THE AGREEMENT WITH THE CONSUMER BY THE SET DATE

According to the National Commission on Energy Regulation, AES TELASI, capital’s energy distributor, is to conclude agreements with the consumer by December 31.

However, Sarke was told at the press center of the AES TELASI lobbyist, the company intends to apply to the commission to postpone the date.