Daily News December 24, 2002	Days:  20 23 24 25 26

politics

PARLIAMENT COLLECTS SIGNATURES AGAINST THREE CHECHENS’ EXTRADITION

Elene Tevdoradze, an MP and acting chairman of human rights protection commission, is collecting signatures. In an appeal to Lado Chanturia, chairman of the Supreme Court (where the Chechen’s case is to be considered), MPs stress that Chechen’s extradition to Russia is inadmissible due to absence of guarantees regarding their lives.




CLASHES IN PARLIAMENT OVER UNITED DEMOCRATS PROPOSAL CONTINUE

The Parliament session today was disrupted after a fight between Socialists leader Vakhtang Rcheulishvili and United Democrats representatives, which launched a proposal last week to raise minimum wages (currently 20 Lari) to the cost of living (more than 100 Lari).

Sharp reaction followed Rcheulishvili’s announcement that United Democrats representatives should be detained by law enforcement forces for not increasing minimum wages while being in the government for years although they consider that possible.

economics

STATISTS DEFINE NEXT YEAR’S PRIORITIES

At a meeting with users of statistical information, Temur Beridze, Chairman of the Statistic Department, said in 2003 attention would be focused on improving accounting in national economy, assessment of unemployment and employment levels, population’s migration and so on.

Statists plan to review cost of consumer basket, improve qualifiers (currency, production and etc.) and registers.




CHANGE TO TERMS FOR PURCHASING AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT AS PART OF 2 KR PROGRAM UNDER CONSIDERATION

Raguli Mchedlidze, deputy head of the main bureau for material and technical supply of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, told Sarke Georgia had applied for a change to terms of transferring agricultural equipment to farms, to be delivered as part of the Japanese grant (2 KR program).

On December 9-12 the Georgian-Japanese consultation commission considered the terms for granting farmers equipment and efficiency of the program at a meeting held at the Ministry.




GRAPE GATHERING AND PROCESSING FIGURES SHOW DOWNTURN, SAYS SAMTREST

Omar Chkhartishvili, deputy chief of the Samtrest Department, this year 16,700 t of grapes has been processed (of which 13,000 t is Kakheti’s share), while the figure last year was 18,000 t.

Chkhartishvili said bad weather conditions for rtveli (grape-gathering) and low-quality chemicals used by farmers were the reasons.




1,026 T OF ANCHOVY CAUGHT IN ONE MONTH

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, from November 25 (the beginning of catching the fish) through December 24 Georgian vessels caught 391 t of anchovy, Ukrainian – 635 t. 22 Georgian and 9 Ukrainian vessels have participated in catching fish this year (under the 1996 intergovernmental agreement between Georgia and Ukraine).

business

RUSSIA SAMEBA’S MAIN FOREIGN MARKET

Parviz Gvelesiani, LLC Sameba’s (a wine firm) director, said this year the firm had purchased 400 t of grapes – Saperavi, Kaberne, Rkatsiteli and produced 28,000 dal of wine.

Sameba exports wine mainly to Russia.