Georgian party funding - clinging to political power "no holds barred"

Georgian party funding - clinging to political power "no holds barred"

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=24313

I see various groups are up in arms about this already, and have called on Georigan president Misha Saakashvili to veto the new regulations.

Under the new regulations the various opposition groups have three days to return all the money which Bidizna Ivanishvili gave them, or it goes to the state.

The new regulations also award sweeping powers to the Chamber of Horrors (Control Chamber) as it is charged with overseeing party funding. So, if they decide that Ivanishvili and his political  force is guilty of providing money to a political party, and that political party doesn't declare it (not his fault) does he lose his house and his goes to money to the state?

"It will gain powers to impound property, including bank account, of a political party, legal entity or of an individual person; this decision by the Chamber of Control can be appealed to the court, but the agency’s decision on impoundment will not be suspended during the court proceedings.

Political parties will have to notify the Chamber of Control about donations within three working days after receiving such donations. Parties will submit their financial declarations to the Chamber of Control every year before February 1 and the Chamber of Control will have to post these declarations on its website. Chamber of Control will be authorized to impose GEL 5,000 fine on a political party in case of its failure to meet disclosure requirements envisaged by these regulations."

The GYLA and others are saying that this new regulation (to give back money which was LEGALLY given to them before they change the law) is unconstitutional. Not only is it unconstitutional it's also yet another fucking stupid ham-fisted attempt by the government to cling on to power using any means possible. No wonder I speak to so many people who are afraid to invest their money here - and quite rightly so when the government can just bring in a new law to expropriate whatever they like.

News like this is likely to make any potential foreign investors fall off the fence laughing, and thanking their lucky stars that they held off putting money into the place. The only people really investing are those "best friends of Georgia", and various new entities which are shrouded in mystery, all of whom have the governments hands in their pockets.

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GLYA Report on Human Rights, Violations of May 26, 2011, Tbilisi Georgia

What Really Happened May 26 in Tbilisi Georgia?

By I.G. Chopan

On Friday 23^rd December the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) formally launched a new report on human rights violations observed during the dispersal of the anti-government demonstrations of 26^th May, which, as the report confirms, constituted nothing more than the peaceful assembly regarded as a democratic right in Western countries, a right safeguarded, at least in theory, by the Georgian constitution.

The report is entitled Analysis of Facts of Human Rights Violations During and Related to the Dispersal of the May 26 Assembly. Its launch in Tbilisi was the conclusion of a series of human rights related events held by GYLA in the latter part of this year.

The report points out that the events of May 26^th were the culmination of an ongoing campaign of restrictions of the right to peaceful assembly guaranteed by various international treaties Georgia is a signatory to, such as the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as Georgia’s own constitution. Prior to that day over 100 individuals had been illegally detained, and illegally tried, for alleged offences related to either attending a peaceful assembly or attempting to organize one, including assemblies planned for the May 21^st-25^th period. GYLA maintains that even if the events of the day itself are set aside, these detentions and trials need to be investigated, as there was no legal basis for them or for the conditions in which those arrested were detained.

The May 26^th assembly was designed to clash with the annual Independence Day military parade. GYLA notes that it could be feasibly argued that the parade was in the public interest and holding it could be deemed to take precedence over allowing the assembly to take place, particularly when this was specifically designed to disrupt the celebrations of the parade, even if only to a small degree. However, no attempt had been made during the previous assembly, the day before, to negotiate a resolution of this clash of events, and the state must bear responsibility for this, as it was not the business of demonstrators to make decisions concerning the parade, such as its details or route. GYLA argues that as the state failed to use other means of ensuring the parade could take place before resorting to dispersing the assembly, the dispersal was, in itself, disproportionate, regardless of the way it was carried out.

The manner of the dispersal is also described as disproportionate. It is noted that prior to using force the police blocked the main exits, meaning that if anyone wanted to leave the assembly for any reason, even if they had decided they did not agree with it and did not want to support it, there was no way they could escape the violence which ensued. GYLA also points out that as a result of the violent dispersal of the assembly at least five people lost their lives and many others were injured, a violation of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights which obliges the state to plan the dispersal of an assembly in such a way that life is not threatened.

Furthermore, the investigation into these deaths was highly questionable, the presumption of innocence of those counteraccused of crimes was violated and their right to a fair trial compromised. GYLA contrasts this with the situation which should exist in Georgia under the terms of its constitution and the international treaties it has signed and notes that there is no effective means of controlling the actions of the police due to deficiencies in Georgian legislation.

The report was compiled by using internationally accepted methodology. Nevertheless, much material was not made available to the investigators, including that on the whereabouts of a number of people reported missing after the dispersal, why certain journalists were allowed to report the events without hindrance and others not, why detained persons were moved around without the families being informed, etcetera. In some cases state agencies did not make important information available, in others people involved in the events felt it unsafe to cooperate. However, even given these limitations, and their consequences for the standard of proof which could be obtained, the report paints a clear picture of a state which violated the human rights of many of its citizens in clear contravention of the wording, spirit and principles of Georgia’s own laws, quite far from any international standard.

GYLA illustrates its report with photographs of those physically beaten by police and the bodies of people killed during the dispersal, as witnessed by contributors to the report, deaths which the Georgian government has alleged did not occur. It calls on all the human rights violations outlined in detail in the report to be fully and impartially investigated and those responsible be held criminally responsible.

 http://gyla.ge/attachments/1166_angarishi%2026%20maisi%20ENG.pdf
 

"As for assessing the thoroughness of the conducted investigation, GYLA mentions that none of the witnesses interviewed by the working group    (Ian Carver, Jeffrey K. Silverman, Otar Tskhadadze) were ever interrogated by the official governmental investigation."

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Sam Patten, Jeremy Roser, Temuri Yakobashvli and Black PR in Georgia

Digging up dirty on Sam Patten?  

Georgians beware of the Republican sleaze behind the scenes!!!

Only that he works closely with Temuri Yakobashvili, Georgian Ambassador to the US, and with right wing extremists ["non-partisan" says this article], ATLANTIC COUNCIL, and with global Zionist leaders [through Yakobashvili and Johns Hopkins/GSFIS] is bad enough. There appears to be a link here with NED, National Endowment for Democracy, modern day US gunboat diplomacy.

 In short it is clear that the scheme in place is to taking away the democratic process in this part of the world for the sake of narrow-minded US foreign policy, other than for energy and arms merchants - appears to be a track record in this respect, lots of media spin, turn coating, and playing a media game that is not in the best interests of Georgia and regional security. Enough said as background, and it is downright “undemocratic.”

The Northern Supply Network is in good hands.   The number 2 over at the Georigan Institute for Strategic Studies is also on the take with Russian intelligence. I need not worry too much that Sam Patten is going to be that successful in his PR efforts. The Russians have the opportunity to turn off the supply line to Afghanistan anytime they want.

Yakobashvili/Sam Patten.

http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=15220

THIS MAKES YAKOBASHVILI a great human and champion of humanity's rights, don't you agree?  When do you read such praise of a Palestinian, or ANY GOY, for being nationalist and a zealot for one belief?:

"Soon after the funeral, Yakobashvili began to secretly explore his grandfather's ancient prayer books, leafing through the pages with a curious fascination. "It was the first time I saw the alef bet, and couldn't understand anything in it," recalled Yakobashvili, who now speaks fluent Hebrew.....within a short time Yakobashvili had spearheaded the creation of several Jewish campus groups that united activists from across the USSR. It wasn't long before Yakobashvili was organizing political demonstrations at home and across Europe. Jewish advocacy helped to introduce Yakobashvili and his Jewish compatriots to the global Zionist community. "

Sam Patten on Wikipedia cable releases

Now think to yourself, if you were Pentagon and Neo Con and Atlantic Council Intel, what would be the VERY BEST say to stuff a rag down the throats of snotty Yale staff members at US Embassies all around the globe, so they mind their Ps and Qs when writing their internal memos, at the upper end of Unclassified reports?

Read this cable below, and just think how CAREFUL every embassy robot will be in the future, writing cables to report to the State Dept. what is going on.

http://cables.mrkva.eu/cable.php?id=152088

On April 30, 2008, the Ambassador Bass met with political consultants Jeremy Rosner and Sam Patten, of Greenberg Associates, the American political consulting company hired by the ruling National Movement party.  Rosner said the UNM [has close ties with republic party in the US, via Sam Patton].

Patten said their April 20 numbers show that the overall ballot position has been consistent for two months.  It would be interesting to know who carried out this research and the nexus to the US State Department and just how the poll was actually conducted. Rosner said after allocating undecided voters likely to vote, the polls indicate about 57 percent support for the United National Movement [UNC], which will likely equate to another constitutional majority in Parliament.  He added that their research shows jobs are people's foremost concern, and territorial integrity and social benefits alternate in second place. 

According to Rosner, “the UNC and other opposition have failed to articulate a message, which has resulted in sinking numbers.  The pollster said the UNM's biggest challenge is to ensure their expected victory is accepted as politically legitimate, both by the Georgian people and the international community.”  (Rosner accurately predicted the results of the January 5 presidential election.  End comment.)

Bigger Picture

Hard to separate the good guys from the bad guys these days, and even members of the tribe are doing nasty un-Jewish things.

http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&A...

Sam Patten, a political adviser to Irakli Alasania, a leading voice in Georgia's opposition party, anointed by the US State Department to be the next in line. There is no comparison to what is happening in Israel to the Jewish State and Patton believes that "the comparison to Israel should raise eyebrows." Unlike the Jewish state, Patten said, Georgia "is a backsliding democracy in a tough part of the world."

Patten called Yakobashvili a "bright and competent guy," but said that he's speaking for an "increasingly authoritarian" Georgian government. As the country's top representative in America, Yakobashvili's "challenge is a tough one," Patten said.

Others observers are more confident in Yakobashvili. "He's one of the best strategic thinkers in the region," said JHU's Starr, who's known Yakobashvili for upwards of 15 years. When it comes down to it, Starr said, the ambassador will succeed because he is "bold - not a shrinking violet."

It is clear that this guy Sam Patten plays both sides with a straight face too.  Patten is a 'human rights champion' for the underdog with Eurasia.org and NGOs paid through Johns Hopkins and USAID and NED but he also writes rabid pieces against Russia and he was a top strategist to get GW and Cheney into office.

Subject: Sam Patten

Date: Friday, 23 December, 2011, 11:18

Sam Patten

Principal at Office of Sam Patten, LLC

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Public Relations and Communications

•           Principal at Office of Sam Patten, LLC

•           Senior Program Manager, Eurasia at Freedom House

•           Senior Advisor/Speechwriter to Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs at U.S. Department of State

•           Director, International Ventures at Marsh Copsey + Associates

Education

Sam Patten's Summary

Professional Experience

--Counseled senior political figures both in the United States and multiple countries on communications strategies [rigging elections and media spin]

--Designed innovative public affairs and strategic communications programs in complex environments;

--Managed successful political campaigns domestically and internationally;

--Written as a journalist and speechwriter to political and corporate leaders;

--Written scripts and co-directed advertisements in multiple countries

Goals

--Continue to broaden practice internationally, especially in Asia, Africa and South America

Specialties

-Writing

-Campaign design and management

-Creative problem-solving

Sam Patten's Experience

Principal

Office of Sam Patten, LLC

January 2009 – Present (3 years)

Providing advisory services for international communications projects in partnership with governments, political parties, non-governmental organizations and private sector concerns. Currently, I am advising a presidential campaign in Romania.

Senior Program Manager, Eurasia

Freedom House

Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; Nonprofit Organization Management industry

2009 – April 2011 (2 years)

Managed programs in support of freedom and human rights in former Communist countries, analyzed policies and developed expert opinions, testified before Congress and published widely in advocating for these goals.

Senior Advisor/Speechwriter to Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs

U.S. Department of State

Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; International Affairs industry

June 2008 – January 2009 (8 months)

Advised the undersecretary on democracy promotion and served as speechwriter and public affairs officer

Director, International Ventures

Marsh Copsey + Associates

April 2005 – March 2008 (3 years)

Developed and managed international political and strategic communications projects in Iraqi Kurdistan, Thailand, Albania and Ukraine. Directed public opinion research activities, media production and general campaign consulting.

Resident Political Director for Iraq

International Republican Institute

Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; International Affairs industry

March 2004 – February 2005 (1 year)

Implemented research, campaign training, political party development, voter education and GOTV programs in advance of Iraq's first free election. Conducted monthly national polls, focus groups and created media products in support of programmatic objectives. Directed staff of 20 and co-administering annual budget of approximately $10MM.

Country/Political Director

International Republican Institute

Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; International Affairs industry

April 2001 – February 2005 (3 years 11 months)

Served as country director in Russia from 2001-4 managing representative office in Moscow, conducting political training programs and designing special projects in public opinion research, media coaching and production. Transferred to Baghdad, Iraq in March 2004 to help with preparations for first election. Built a political research and training program, oversaw active polling and focus group program and launched a media center focusing on Get-Out-the-Vote promotion [AKA vote rigging].

Country Director, Russia

International Republican Institute

Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; International Affairs industry

April 2001 – March 2004 (3 years)

Administered a $1.5 MM annual democratization program focused on training political party leaders in campaign strategies, and other related initiatives to advance USG interests in the region. Conducted three nation-wide polls and produced GOTV televisions spots in run-up to

Legislative Assistant

U.S. Senator Susan Collins

September 1999 – April 2001 (1 year 8 months)

Advised the Senator on foreign policy and defense issues. Also served as a state office representative in Portland, Maine responsible for constituent outreach and political operations.

Campaign Coordinator

Bush-Cheney 2000

July 2000 – November 2000 (5 months)

Drafted and implemented state campaign plan, directed earned media activities, coordinated surrogate visits, organized multiple rallies by Governor Bush and directed major donor events.

Public Affairs Director

Golden Eagle Partners

January 1998 – September 1999 (1 year 9 months)

Almaty, Kazakhstan; co-founded and directed the activities of a client service group providing governmental and public affairs advice to companies in Kazakhstan.  Published the authoritative daily news wire on industry and politics.

Government Affairs Manager

Hurricane Investments

March 1997 – December 1998 (1 year 10 months)

Almaty, Kazakhstan; coordinated government and public affairs activity for the first oil production company to be privatized in Central Asia. Designed and implemented high-impact public affairs plan.

Public Affairs Consultant

Chevron Munaigaz, Inc

December 1996 – March 1997 (4 months)

, Almaty, Kazakhstan; advised on the administration of a $1.3 MM public affairs program, coordinated a human resources campaign and authored a manual on hiring.

Finance Director

Collins for Senator

March 1996 – December 1996 (10 months)

directed fund-raising activities in a successful U.S. Senate campaign that raised $1.6 MM and closed with a surplus, out-raised principal opponent by more than 2:1.

Public Affairs Director

Golden Eagle Advisors

July 1995 – March 1996 (9 months)

Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics & Strategic Research, Almaty, Kazakhstan; responsible for the institute's image-building and placing graduates with jobs in public and private sectors. Taught graduate-level course on comparative politics.

Press Secretary

Collins for Governor

July 1994 – November 1994 (5 months)

Coordinated media activities and assisted in development/implementation of campaign strategy.

Reporter

The Camden Herald

July 1993 – July 1994 (1 year 1 month)

Covered news in five municipalities, wrote regular columns and won awards from the Maine Press Association for investigative journalism and opinion/editorial writing.

Investigator

District of Columbia Public Defenders Service

March 1992 – May 1992 (3 months)

Assisted criminal attorneys in investigation of cases.

Intern

Senator William S Cohen

September 1990 – March 1992 (1 year 7 months)

Conducted research on broad-ranging topic including defense and foreign policy. Assisted with writing and constituent relations projects.

Sam Patten's Education

Georgetown University

Bachelor of Arts, in American Government

1989 – 1993

-

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Tourism Development in Georgia - a foreign perspective

Thoughts Georgian Tourism

“perspective from a foreign eye”

Daniel W. Silverman

Tourism is an essential component of local business in many countries, serving as a main source of income for a large part of the population. This is also the case in Georgia with its many attractions and longstanding tourism tradition. Georgia’s many cultural and natural attractions can be enjoyed by foreign and domestic visitors alike. However, just as with any other business, tourism requires good management, which includes advertising, information support, and especially well-trained and courteous staff, and buttressed with appropriate infrastructure.  

Although I am not an expert on this field, I have travelled across much of Georgia and the region in the last few years. I can observe from my own personal experience the various kinds of problems that the tourism industry faces here. Also, my family is involved in this business – helping to develop tourism and is very active in rural development.

First of all I want to mention the overall lack of information about tourism in the region, especially what seems to be a dearth of information available to locals, about the potential for local tourism and the many attractions that Georgia processes. Visitors are not well-informed about tours to the various regions. I have often heard from my foreign friends who have travelled around Georgia that it is always “full of surprises”.

They mentioned that they are not accustomed to such extreme travel – sometimes good extreme and sometimes extreme bad. Whenever I want to go somewhere I first look for information on the internet and a well-organised website is almost always a guarantee in supporting my choice of where to go, what to do, or in which hotel or guest house to stay. Transport continues to be a problem, especially in getting to the regions.

I’m sure that few, if any, region and tourist centre in Georgia effectively provides such information so I think that if the government invested in a well presented and easily accessible website describing the nature, culture and tourist routes in the Georgian regions it would be immensely helpful to the development of local tourism. This website must be kept up-to-date and all contact information accurate.

Tourism development is especially important for the mountainous regions where the population has a tendency to migrate to big cities to find jobs. The second most important thing which I think would improve the appeal of Georgia to tourists would be to train locals to work in tourist information centres. Their current level of knowledge about their own region is often inadequate, and not to a standard that allows to work in such places.

 Locals are now unable to provide adequate services to foreign visitors. They need to be able to provide information about other regions as well. Such as how to get from region A to B, how much does it cost, and then how to return to where you started. It is also important to have foreign language knowledge in the regions. At least for tourism companies, as it would be cheaper to have local guides rather than someone from the main city accompanying tour groups.

Svaneti region, one of the most isolated in Georgia, has the greatest development potential among the mountain regions, with regard to the benefits which a properly funded and well-run tourism centre would provide. Cultural tourism in this region is just as popular as mountain activities such as skiing and hiking. Generally ski runs are working here even in summer, and the main advantage of Svaneti region, when compared other mountain regions, is that the villages have not yet been deserted by people looking for work elsewhere.

A large part of the process of tourism development depends on public facilities. Even in such a crowded and big city as Batumi in summer along the promenade you can’t find more than one toilet or outside shower, a changing room or a snack bar to buy cold drinks.  Surely it’s not so difficult for local businesses to get together and fix such problems? Even where there are toilet facilities but these are stinking and the conditions are less than pristine, not to an acceptable level for domestic or foreign tourist alike.

Finally, I have to say that tour operators and tourism companies need to be more active, creative, resourcefulness and demonstrate flexibility and initiative in developing their businesses.  

Daniel Silverman, recent graduate of Shepherd University, Shepherdstown West Virginia, BS Environment Studies, 2010, Concentration Natural Resource Management.

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Bio threat in Tbilibi Georgia, bio weapons lab?

Would a bio weapons lab be considered as terrorism – especially if located in friendly Georgia?

New Generation of Bio Weapons in the Grey Zone!

Secretive American network of labs in Georgia and the former Soviet Union raises many suspicions. Are they purely defensive, peaceful as the U.S. government and Bechtel National claims, a long term defense contract, or are they something more sinister, offensive and deadly. There are some who claim that research being carried out on some of the most terrifying weapons ever created?

The Caucasus region is an ideal location if the United States would wish to outsource its 'grey zone' research. According to investigative journalists in Georgia, many questions surround a facility located near the Tbilisi International Airport.  However, before divvying deeper, it should be understand that many of the most 'attractive' viruses and bacteria ever used for weaponisation lives naturally in this region, so this is the place to study them more intensely in their natural habitat.

Moreover, this is a region known for its thriving black market economy and trafficking, corrupt governments where the lack of democracy and a civil society makes it easier to hide things from the world, not to mention those living in close proximity to the impressive covert facilities, and the Georgian public as a whole.  

Near the airport in Tbilisi, Georgia, a huge compound is nearly operational. The American military has initially spent about $150 mill on building the research lab, and this includes correcting earlier workmanship that was not to standard.
 International and local journalists are denied access, and often given misleading information about it.  The U.S. has fought against a verification mechanism which the world community would get access to the new labs being built by America in the Caucasus region, to dispel fears that are not again part of American offensive military strategy.

Playing the “Devil’s Adovate” Just what kind of lab is it, and why has there been so much speculation about it? It lies at a place called Alekseevka, an abandoned Soviet military base, today a suburb with a few thousand people living within a mile of the new building.

Tbilisi biolab - why worry?

Georgian authorities have built a new laboratory on the outskirts of Tbilisi near the international airport, assisted by American defense authorities, such as Bechtel National and various subcontractors. However, source within the facility that management is not Georgian.
Locals protested against it in 2004, some fearing the risk of a leak, others that the new lab will produce biological weapons. The leader of the Georgian Green party, Giorgi Gachechiladze, was one of the leaders of the demonstrations. He argues strongly against building the lab, and points to all the secrecy and misinformation.

Both the American staff and the Georgian government have denied foreign journalist access to the new facility. They have given misleading information over the course of this investigation, so much so that it would be hard even to write the story they want to get across, or writing about it from a popular science perspective, without hard facts.

For instance, the health minister (who is formally responsible for the project) told that the new lab has nothing to do with non-proliferation, all the while in the old pathogen storage room there were big posters made by the United States' Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) explaining how the DTRA had secured the pathogens, preventing proliferation.

You can also find articles on the net showing that during the early stage of this project, it was run by the Georgian Ministry of Defense, whilst now it's under health, and that U.S. senator Richard Lugar - a significant person in non-proliferation work, Senate Foreign Relations Committee - called it a storage lab for biological weapons in one of his trip reports after visiting Georgia.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a branch of the United States Ministry of Defense, is a key stakeholder in the building project and oversees it and similar facilities in the Caucasus, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The stated aim is to rapidly detect disease outbreaks, whether accidental, natural or deliberate (terrorism).

The DTRA - better known as Nunn-Lugar - started out with dismantling weapons of mass destruction capability in the former Soviet countries, but is now building up preparedness against outbreaks of disease, whether natural or as a consequence of terrorism. The US has been striving to integrate the two areas. The new bio-shield is a countermeasure in the developmental stage, the details of which remain obscured.

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Will the US Government use Georgia as an address for bio warfare against Iran?

Will the US Government use Georgia as an address for bio warfare against Iran?

Bechtel Inc.
4, Freedom Square Tbilisi, Georgia

Joni Simonishvili & Jeff Silverman

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE, Organisation Mondiale de la Santé Animale), Georgian and U.S. microbiologists and virologists are conducting joint research into the cholera virus in Georgia. Bodies participating in this project include the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID, Fort Detrick) and the Georgian Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology. This project is thus best classified as being military rather than public health in nature.

It's really strange that USAMRIID (a military research organization which studies the possibilities of using microorganisms as biological weapons) is the Georgian side's main partner in this research. According to the Italian information resource "Wanted in Rome", it is being conducted in a secret laboratory near Tbilisi, in Alexeevka village, another peculiarity in work supposedly designed for public health benefit.

Officially this facility, called the "Central Laboratory for Animal Health" was opened in September 2004. Its construction reportedly cost more than 100 million USD but further information about its activities is completely classified. It is also clear that the construction cost increased due to shoddy workmanship and the grave public health concerns this raised. Now it has been renamed a Central Reference Lab – which is even more impressive than one designed to deal with bird flu and hoof and mouth disease – all part of the subterfuge.

"The construction of this laboratory in Georgia was driven by its geographical position and need," U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Bass said in a recent interview. However, as one journalist with close knowledge of this facility has confirmed it real nature, “unless you've got a lab flying the stars and stripes next to a mountain of cute dead bunnies, such a story is hard to sell”. The one thing we do know about it is that, according to all the official sources, the lab will not be used for bio weapons research, as was initially reported in the Georgian press, U.S.-Funded 100 mln Bio Lab Opens in Tbilisi, http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23257

According to European and American journalists, the laboratory in Georgia is part of a chain of such institutions established by the Americans in Eastern Europe. Thailand, Egypt and Kenya are strategically important for the United States nowadays, as Thailand is the USA’s Asian foothold, Egypt is a bulwark against further uncontrolled Arab revolutions and Kenya is the American influence-spreading base in East Africa and the Indian Ocean. Georgia’s proximity to the Russian and Iranian borders was most likely the key factor in the decision to construct a laboratory on its territory. It is likely not happenstance that the facility is very near Tbilisi International Airport.

Three years after the construction of the laboratory an African swine fever epidemic suddenly broke out in Georgia. Coincidence or not, there have also been isolated outbreaks of rabbit fever and other deadly diseases in recent years, which is not usual for this region. The outbreak of swine fever mainly impacted the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, where the ethnic Armenian population is concentrated. In addition, a new strain of swine flu, H3N2, was identified in Georgia in early 2011.

Experts consider the cholera virus to be the biological weapon of the future, mainly because of its ability to infect a significant number of people in a short time, the possibility of re-infection throughout life, and the 50 percent mortality rate of those left without treatment and the lack of an effective vaccine which can be widely produced at short notice.

Naturally, this fact could have significant application for US foreign policy in the region – and if so, this would not be the first time that the US government has engaged in bio warfare. One only needs to revisit the plight of the American Indians, who were deliberately given blankets from smallpox hospitals as part of a campaign of wholesale genocide of Native Americans.

Now may not be a bad time to cut loose a bio infection, as so many people are looking in so many other directions. It may serve a political payoff, and even help the NATO and US war effort in the Arab World; the PR machine is being slowed down a bit these days by the flack coming from unintended consequences of US military operations. There may no longer be any choice but to get nasty - anything is possible, even anthrax type attacks, and naturally it will be assumed that one of the crazy Arab leaders who had a weapons program must have had a few petri dishes which were overlooked.  

In the final analysis, however, one must keep in mind that “to build counter-agents you must first have the weaponized grade material or "infecting agent", which means that they have to predict or know what someone might use (the storage vats they have in Georgia are important for this) and then build a counter-agent. The question is, if the counter agent is already prepared, and if not it is just a matter of timing.”

You may not find a lab flying the stars and stripes next to a mountain of cute dead bunnies, but soon you may find piles of bodies of dead Georgians and others living in its neighborhood in the Near East as a result of this collaborative joint effort.

But all of this is open source stuff, and currently in line with known US policy. It's easy to argue that because Georgia is amok with chem-bio nasties that makes it the ideal place to spend millions soaking up all those idle brains and empty labs and putting them to (good/bad) OUR use.

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Northern Distribrition Route linked to "illegal" US arms exports

Northern Distribution Network and US Arms Dealers in Georgia

Joni Simonishvili -Tbilisi Georgia

The U.S. is "demented" now.  “Thinking people you shit on are your friends when you need them, what goes around comes around!”

We are shitting all over Russia now.  With missiles in Romania and Hillary laughing at our NED and NGO infiltrates fucking with their elections and manufactured discontent protests there.

You think Russia will just roll over and ignore the "hold" [re. this needed transport link] they have over their fake friend USA? And look at the other countries "trust" needed for this transport link.  Very dicey proposition; Kyrgyzstan is a mess too, with as many KGB/FSB/GRU  agents as CIA over there, in the field, as there are in Georgia and Turkey. From the Eurasia.org news article below:

 "The NDN comprises of a rail link starting in Latvia going through Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; a road route via Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for goods initially delivered to the Manas Transit Center near Bishkek; and a Caucasus pathway "

“But the real question is whether the NDN can fully compensate for what’s happened in Pakistan. We have a good NDN, but we also have Central Asian roads that are not the best,”

Something is "cracking" in the Empire!  The Anglo-US-Israel global Empire; this Northern Distribution Route is faulty logic, wishful thinking, [except the part of transport through Georgia to Turkey via seaport Poti].  Even in Georgia people are starting to understand.

The work ‘Threats of the Development of Ethnic Separatist Terrorism in Georgia and  Preventive Measures Against It ’by TSU Assistant Professor and Doctor of Law Giorgi Gorashvili, is the first attempt at a terrorism study in Georgian scientific literature. This work has both practical and theoretical significance. The author has clearly analyzed the social nature of terrorism, from earlier ages to the modern implications of terrorism.

He describes how terrorism differs from war, the activities of partisan movements and other forms of conflict. The first way is in its target. Under international humanitarian law it is prohibited to attack civil society, but civil society is the main target of terrorist groups. Terrorists are likely to attack the Ministry of Interior or national defense forces but their overall strategy is to attack institutions not involved in conducting armed activities. The terrorists’ target is not the armed forces, thus and their common methods do not comply with those acceptable under the rules of war. Rather it can be softer targets, such as port and railway links, and to entail fear in those that support the war in Afghanistan which has great political ramifications at home.

Giorgi Gorashvili points out that many resources provide discussions on the main elements and objectives of terrorism. In discussing terrorist threats against Georgia three main possible forms these may take must be taken into account – state-supported, ethnic-separatist and religious terrorism.

The existence of Islamic terrorism threats in the south of the Russian Federation should be a real concern for Georgia. This concern is quite reasonable, as the establishment of Islamic states in North Caucasus would leave Georgia almost surrounded by Islamic states. The main source of the country’s internal separatism and the activation of radical Islamists is Russia, whose aim is to weaken Georgia’s sovereignty. However, it is obvious that the above mentioned threats cannot be beneficial for Russia either, [or is it]?

By harming Georgia Russia loses a serious partner in the fight against terrorism, or [does it]. Russia’s actions against Georgia run the risk of creating a grey zone in Georgia in which various manifestations of terrorism and organized crime can flourish, and this is done by allowing the NDR to expand, espeically in Georgia. However, it must be careful so not to compromise the national security of the Russian Federation. In consequence, Giorgi Gorashvili believes that the course of action Georgia takes to control the separatist regions is vital [as potential flashpoints] and how this must comprise not only formal monitoring of these regions but their full involvement in the country’s social and economic life.” However, more is involved here than just theory alone, and 

Sample of how this system really works:

“So, in principle, the delivery time is eight to ten days. That means they ship it to the shore, then by plane through Koln, ah, Ba… Baku or Tbilisi – Tbilisi.  So, and… all together with the weapons, yes? For now, we are only talking about vehicles, so as not to frighten them beforehand.”

Mm-mm. [long pause] what do you need from us so that we can follow your direction? Okay, let’s mention we would agree to have one by _____ let’s say, so uh how do you feel about the success of getting export license in this case, and what do you need from us to start everything.

That being said, there are ways of doing these deals, but it’s at considerable risk to myself, my company, and considerable cost to you guys because it’s not with the license. Does that make sense? Okay, so let’s say we won’t guar… we won’t have export license, but we will get the car to the final destination. Do I understand correct? Car, gun, correct, armament, if that’s what you want? Oh, no conversation has started, now we understand each other. That is, what Ameican is suggesting and they, naturally, are reflecting his thoughts; but they won’t give us the export license. They won’t even deal with it.

Mm-mm.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64650, Afghanistan: presssure is now on Central Asian Supply Route.

But does that include Turkmentistan?

Continued:

                        "The shipment have two sets of document” one that goes to the US Company. You guys don’t even have to see that one.  Uh, typical contraband approach, that is, he says they will prepare two packets of documents: the product leaves with one and arrives with the other; in your set everything will be correct, just as you requested."

I think there might be a deal with the Russians to help Ivanishvili as part of keeping alive the Northern Distribution Network. Culturally and personally, Ivanishvili is a person the Kremlin can relate to and understand, as Misha is not – and it might be the best protection against terrorist threats from South of the Border, even greater than the Russian army in close proximity. In short the policy stays same, especially in light of the status quo and the Northern Distribution route. You be the judge as how all these things are linked!

http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=10TBILISI146

the wikileaks cable is almost two years old.  But it shows just how deeply US Ambassador John Bass is in the pocket (s) of the pentagon, and Georgian flinkies, not to mention Dick Chaney, KBR, Halliburton, etc.

(C) WHAT ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE POINTS -- POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, OR PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE -- IN THE HOST COUNTRY THAT, IF CHALLENGED, WOULD AFFECT ITS WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE NDN COOPERATION WITH THE US? None of the aforementioned potential vulnerabilities affect Georgia's willingness to participate in the Network. Georgia is eager to demonstrate its continued willingness to contribute to the Allied effort in Afghanistan, including by committing a battalion (approximately 750) of troops to serve alongside the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan with no caveats (ref B), so we would not expect any of the factors listed to deter Georgia from participating. BASS

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US Ambassdor Bass helps destroy Georgian Media in setting up new supply route to Afghanistan

John Bass, to destroy Georgian Media in setting up new supply route to Afghanistan

IN REF: Private Message

“So what's your analysis of recent events? First they strangle the  newspapers, then Maestro - or are the opposition misreading this? Maybe  Kitsmarishvili, formerly of Rustavi2 and Ambassador to Russian Federation, was imagining himself as the next president, and can't  stand the sight of Ivanishvili and his popularity??

And to John Bass: Would he or anyone else in the US government DARE says something like that to American media? He said they need to know how editorial decisions are made, and that also applies to internet news. Let's see how the Huffington Post would have liked to let the government have more insight into their editorial process.

I don't quite understand what Bass is talking about, but it's clearly an imperialist point of view. It is part of the normal work of media to do what Maestro TV has been doing. The media is another part of society than government and NGOs, and neither have ANY right to lecture journalists like that. Freedom

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Jamestown Foundaton "4-hire" fireman in quelling Georgian politicalbonfire!

Quelling political flames in Georgian bonfire

In their haste to run and quell the political flames which are licking around Mikhail Saakashvili's ears the Jamestown Foundation seem to have tripped up over the outstretched leg of truth.

In this article Vladimir Socor denounces Bidzina Ivanishvili as some kind of power-hungry mogul and "a relic of Russia's and Georgia's political environments of the 1990s" who's apparent failure to mention Georgia's territorial integrity and aspirations of joining NATO led Socor up the garden path as he proudly deduced that Ivanishvili does not foresee either of those two issues becoming part of his policy. In fact Ivanishvili said exactly the opposite of what this pundit accused him of.

Sadly Mr Socor appears to have fallen into the same trap as the Georgian "Ruling" Party (must they always insist on calling themselves that? Kings rule - governments serve, isn't that how it's supposed to work?), and has been found guilty of not looking before leaping to the defense of something which bears all the hallmarks of a lame duck presidency in Georgia.

Socor finally tipped his hand in his final paragraph in which he belittled the opposition politicians in Georgia, almost describing them as "has beens" with no hope of ever mounting a serious challenge for the leadership between them. Of course, there may actually be some truth in that conclusion, but only due to the divide and conquer tactics employed by the "United National Movement" (to give Saakashvili's party it's proper name) through their control of the main media outlets, funding of lobby groups and frenzied support in political diatribe like the above, in which Vladimir Socor makes a mockery of the Jamestown Foundation's boast of providing "Information without political agenda".

Ivanishvili, meanwhile, has provided further details of his plans for when he comes to power, dismissing the UNM's chances of winning an election against him even if they try to rig the elections, something which he seems to expect.

As Civil.ge reports, Ivanishvili said that improving the constitution was the "first thing" that should be done after coming into power.

He said that he had no prepared solutions of exactly what kind of constitution Georgia should have, or "prepared recipes" how to make the judiciary system fully independent.

"I myself have not this knowledge, but I know how demand this from those who have this knowledge and how to get the best result," Ivanishvili said.

"The good constitution will be the one which is a result of an agreement within the society and not the one written by me," he said. "We should create such constitution which will rule out any risk [of concentration of power in single person]... Constitution is very important. But only constitution won't protect you against authoritarianism. The society should also be ready for it. I am going to strengthen the society. That is my major goal."

Ivanishvili also expressed his fear that, after challenging President Saakashvili, he was now expecting anything from the authorities in order to bar him from the politics.

"I do not even rule out that I might be shot; I realize it and I am careful," he said in an interview with political commentator Ia Antadze.

In a Georgian Journal report of this same statement Ivanishvili says that "presumable methods" used by the government are obvious:

"They captured father-in-law of my closest advisor and assistant Irakli Gharibashvili, a gun was planted on him. My son's friend, popular DJ was detained, drugs were planted on him. They demanded disarmament from my guard. Prosecutor's office may close Kartu Bank. They may even close my charity fund – call charity a bribe, they may detain my relative from the bank", the businessman says.

As for his presumable deportation, Ivanishvili says that he may be declared as "a dangerous man for the state". "One MP mentioned 90 days and deportation, not even being aware that EU citizens have right to be in the country without visa for a year. Their problem is that they do not have a clever man in the team to analyze the situation. I don't exclude them saying - this man is dangerous for the state – and decide my deportation. But this will change nothing. They will only make their condition worse", Ivanishvili states.

In another Georgian Journal report, and in response to a "they will kill him" comment made by sacked Georgian theater director Robert Sturua on his facebook page, childhood acquaintance of Ivanishvili Eldar Nadiradze explained:

"I am seven years senior to Bidzina. I remember him from the childhood. He did not obey teachers. This unbridled streak in his character coupled with the feeling of protest followed him all the way to the maturity. When I once suggested him to take part in the Presidential elections, he shrugged it off saying it was not his business. When they say that he has been financing the Governmental projects, he would do it for the safety of his family. Neither did he have peace of mind during the Shevardnadze era. Shevardnadze used to call him to his office and ask him to do this and that. Bidzina had to attend every request or else he could have been proclaimed as an enemy or his plane could have been blown up in the air.

Bidzina did not want to go into politics but they eclipsed his patience. They were requesting too many things from him and were doing it arrogantly, insulting him all the time. This man did many things. Yet, every time Saakashvili went and opened a new enterprise he would 'forget' to mention him. He could understand if it had happened once, twice and so. However, how could you 'forget' it the hundredth time? He is the man who cannot be cheated. The Authorities are extremely unnerved by Bidzina's decision. They will do their utmost to harm him. They will break into his family and even try to arrest him. Alternatively, they will try to force him out of Georgia.

Misha is not a simpleton and an easy mark to get rid of. He is an Asian type of a despot who has intuition and drive. Sometimes he plays a role of an idiot and aptly dons the right masks. He and his surroundings will resort to all the dirty, cunning and immoral tricks to retain the power."   

Based on the MO of the Georgian goon squad, under the MIA, and if something "really bad" happens to Bidzina Ivanishvili, should he get shot or have an "unexplained" accident, Socor and all the rest of the Jamestown boys must bear some degree of responsibility for feeding this despot's ego, as hired guns. They too think that Saakashvili and his minions can again get away it, no questions asked, as may have been the case with previous political opponents such as Zurab Zhvania and Badri Patarkatsishvili and as what transpire next.

Jamestown Foundation is aptly named. The first displaced native Americans and the first African slaves in the colonies originated in Jamestown. And now they want to displace the man who built Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi and separate him from the same people who are begging for their natural born leader, Ivanishvili.

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Iran, Georgia: Weapons Trafficking and Larger Political Games

Iran, Georgia: Weapons Trafficking and Larger Games

Joni Simonishvili

Misha's been awfully quiet about what's going on in Kiev
...  maybe he's worried about doing time (jail) in the big house

Perhaps he should go now, and try for the Mo Ibrahim prize!

The headline was but the tip of the iceberg, “Saakashvili Protege Helped Lead Georgia to War with Russia

Steve LeVine | November 1, 2010, on an investigative website, Main Justice.
However, for those that know this story from the big picture perspective – this is small stuff; Davit Kererashvii is but a fall guy, as part of a larger network of international arms dealing and proxy wars, but an important pawn when push comes to shove.

Steve Levin writes, the 32-year-old Kezerashvili has laid low since leaving the defense post under heavy criticism following the August 2008 war, in which the armed forces that he and President Mikheil Saakashvili had carefully armed and trained fled the battlefield in panic.

This allegation, however, is far from the truth, solider fought and only the officers “cut and ran”, leaving the boots on the ground to fend on their own, some barely trained, and even an order was given to withdraw when the war was actually going in favor of Georgia, and Tsinvalia fell to Georgian forces.
This story, as to Davit Kererashvili, and it interesting quotes are part of a larger pattern, or perhaps just a reflection of trying to write remote articles without up close fact-checking – and buying into a flimsy story line that one guy is somehow responsible  for all of the debacle.

 The Main Justice article writes that “Kezerashvili had relied in considerable art on relationships with Israel to build up Georgia’s fighting capability. He attended high school in Israel in the early 1990s and became fluent in Hebrew.”

No mention is made as how he had to escape Georgia in his youth to keep from being arrested for drug dealing and that his university days were marked by fits of rage, perhaps under the influence of drugs; he even threatened one of his professors for refusing to put down high marks  when he had not even attended lectures, and that was even before the so-called education reform and rooting out corruption in the system of higher education in Georgia.

  The weapons business in Georgia in multi-faceted, and has been booming in Georgia for many years, and with direct knowledge and US involvement. The Georgian-Russian war of 2008 only provided the opportunity to bring us up to speed on the larger scale of things, including funding mechanisms, and now many US defense contractors are involved in this lucrative and deadly business.  It’s all about location and topography. However, it is clear that Kezerashvili is but a pawn in this game. One only need to look at who will was appointed as the next Ambassador to the United States as part of the bigger game, Jakobashvili, Minister for Territorial Reintegration, and how this relates to larger regional games, outsourcers of  cannon fodder and all the possible with his links with the traders of weapons and Israeli dirty players.

As a cover for the lost of many weapons, including those prepositioned here for eventual use against Iran and for Libya. The original drumbeat was to be expected. – “Territorial integrity” – restoring Constitutional order and overcoming the lawlessness in the breakaways of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (we heard that before in the lawless Pankisi George, a so-called US funded terrorist funded hideout).  

It was clear from on-site visits behind the Russian lines during the war of August 2008 that far more weapons were stocked stockpiled in Georgia than needed. Many of these fell into Russian hands than ever admitted, and this begs the question as why were they stockpile there in the first place.  With the events of the last months in the Arab Awakening it is not difficult to understanding.  Nonetheless, this was the first real on-site confirmation of the illegal procurement and distribution network that involves many countries in the trafficking and illicit trade of weapons, including close friends, Jordan, NATO member countries, and to top the list with UK and the peace loving Norwegians as part of the chorus.

It is still officially debatable whether the “vast amount” of weapons was intended for Georgian defensive purpose or just part of a larger shell game of “producers” and “end users” who find that the situation in Georgia is perfect for transshipments of weapons to other conflict zones outside of the region. One of the key players, with links with Vicktor Bout and Serbia is the Melvale Corporation, which is a well-known intermediary company for this trade.  This black market dealer of weapons works under the umbrella of contracts concluded before the last Minister of Defense was even aware of the business opportunities in his new job.

It also confirms that links between Russian Military intelligence and Georgian plants, not low level agents but those who are fixed in key positions in the Georgian and Israeli defense establishment.  The main point in some of the end user certificates is from where any full-fledge investigation should start, and not on the surface of some commissions trading hands but where did the shipment to Georgia actually end up. “The end user of the cargo with guarantees that the cargo as described will not be given, re-exported, lent, rented or [gifted] to other persons, subjects or countries without the written consent of the authorized organs of Georgian and Jordan. Moreover, the Georgian Ministry of Defense further guarantees to accept the materials in its warehouses and to keep them under its security after the delivery to Georgia?
Does that mean placing them in villages, near schools and other places to be captured by the Russians, as was the case during the war of August 2008, and if captured – then no laws have been violated in the terms of the certificate of end user, and if now they end up on the international market, only the Russians and South Ossetians can be blamed. The paperwork cannot be clearer, “After accepting the cargo, the Ministry of Defense will confirm the delivery in writing through a certificate to the supplier, confirming the realization of the delivery.”

It is understood why Saakashvili posted a slimy and unless drug user as the top man in the Ministry of Defense, again quoting from the recent Main Justice Story, “Returning to his native Georgia, Kezerashvili formed a friendship with Saakashvili, who was making his way as a young politician after earning a law degree in the United States. As Saakashvili rose, so did his young protégée.
I would beg to differ, and “when Saakashvili was justice minister under Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgia’s first post-Soviet president, Kezerashvili served as head of his information department. He served as an assistant to Saakashvili when the latter was chief of the Tbilisi city council. And when Saakashvili formed a new political party in 2001 â the United National Movement and Kezerashvili became a founding member.

The president elect knew this persons capabilities well – and how he would provide the perfect cover in case anything would go wrong, the perfect scapegoat, and when push came to shove that he could run to Israel and not be deported, as it is illegal to deport a Jew from the homeland.  The Main Justice Article only tells part of the story, and the rest can be confirmed by human rights watchdogs.    

Leading up to the August 2008 war, Israel provided niche materiel and training to Georgia. According to the respected Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, Israeli weapons and training cost Georgia some $500 million from 2000 through 2008. They included pilotless drones and night-vision equipment, in addition to tactical and urban warfare training starting at the end of 2007.

What about the m-85 cluster bombs sold to Israel, many of them being duds – and how there was a wholesale failure of the “grad” style multi-launch system that brought these down on the heads of Georgian soldiers and civilian populations – and outside of the direct zone of conflict, and the concerted effort by the Georgian government to blame this on the Russians. HR watch and the Georgian human rights center confirmed the use of cluster bombs outside of the region of the Roki tunnel and it is clear that this has never been investigated as a war crime.

It is also debatable, as daring and educated, having cheated his way through the university – threatening a female aged professor with violence is this Kezerahvli, and how can such a statement as this be made in the Main Justice Article, “Then, in 2006, Saakashvili elevated the just 28-year-old Kezerashvili to the defense portfolio. He said Kezerashvili was a young but daring, educated and firm.

The problems of Kezershvili are minor in comparison to the big picture, and how a so called US ally, Jordan is so much involved in the weapons trafficking – and as a result of the calculation to not win the war of August 2008, weapons that were sold to Georgia, mostly Serbian are being traded in the international black market.

The unanswered question now is, why were so many weapons been sold to Georgia, at least on paper, where are they now, and how were they exported directly from Jordan” Few then and even fewer now, ever thought they were to be used for territorial integrity or training purposes. One may speculate some other possibilities:  Iran, Northern Iraq (Kurdistan), and points beyond. This is only the beginning of the list of end users and interesting stakeholders and many shipments are assisted by Short Take Off and Landing Aircraft and how even UN has contacted Georgian companies in Africa. It is not hard to understand what these air companies fly when not flying UN staff and equipment.

Georgia - “green light” for the “death traders” Victor Bout and his partner Temur Alasania

Maestro Georgian Resistance TV "Georgia and the World" - socio-political weekly

Georgia - "Green Light" for the "Merchant of Death" Victor Bout and his partner Temur Alasania

June 26, 2010

 Viktor Anatolii Bout and Temur Alasania

In a previous edition of “Georgia and the World” the newspaper version of the “Special Report” prepared by TV Company “Maestro”, they naturally evoked special interest in the larger public. Even for those who never doubted the anti-government actions of the present government and a ruining of the reputation of this country, the reality approved by the facts was unexpected, the actuality of which shall be felt very soon by influential persons from the government involved into weapons smuggling or the people close to them, or the people having less influence.

Unfortunately, these facts create an unattractive image to the Georgian state and equate a prospective of its development to less than zero, which, probably bothers very little the uncle of the Georgian President- Temur Alasania, for whom the position of President  to  his sister’s son became a source of a good deal of income under the umbrella of his nephew.

In the newspaper version of “Special Report” you will clearly see what kinds of deals were concluded with the “Merchant of Death.”

Victor Anatolii Bout was born on January 13, 1967, in Soviet Socialist Republic of Tajikistan, in Dushanbe. The very first business he founded was for air and sea cargo transportation; the main direction of the business involved the near East and Africa. He was the contractor of the President of Liberia- Charles Taylor; he also provided service to the United Nations in Sudan, and also to the United States of America in its military operations in Iraq.

As far back as the beginning of the 1990s weapon deliveries were being made to Africa, for all the different sides in the on-going civil wars. Soon thereafter Bout was named the “weapon’s baron” and he is now positioned as the most powerful weapon seller on the Earth. Shortly thereafter the British government blames him for opening a weapons corridor from East Europe, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine with deliveries for the benefit of Liberia and Angola.  

The “Merchant of Death Hollywood production comes out with a movie that was done which reflected the story of the Russian weapon seller, Victor Bout. Even before shooting this movie, the relationship between Bout and the United States was tense, as Bout is openly charged with trafficking of weapons to the terrorists and the partisans, both “Al Qaeda” and “Taliban” are named as being amongst his clients.

Because of the impact to the hindrance of democracy in Congo, the United States opened a case against Bout.  In 2008, he was arrested in Bangkok Thailand, where he was checked into “Sofitel Seylamroad” hotel. Although the first case against him was dismissed he was discharged in 2009 by the Thailand Court but new charges were filed on February 17, 2010 where he faced new allegations as passed down by a US Federal Court.

Based on open sources, the crossroads of Victor Bout, the infamous Merchant of Death and Georgia, intersected one year ago, based on information provided by the Georgian Human Rights Centre and an American investigative reporter living in Georgia.

Thailand. Bangkok. December 12, 2009. Airplane “Il-76” was seized with a cargo of 40 tons of military equipment, including mortars, antitank and portable zenith-rocket propelled systems were found. It was learned from sources in the mass media that the airplane was registered in Batumi Georgia and had flown to South Korea.

The special operation was jointly carried out by the special services of the United States of America and Thailand. One of the versions of the flight path had the plane transporting the weapons to Sri-Lanka but soon afterwards other details of the case were disclosed.

“New Your Times” edition from December 14, 2009:

“As the crew arrested in Bangkok tells, the airplane flew to Bangkok from where they were then to fly to the UAE and afterwards return to Ukraine. But now the Ministry of Transport of that country announces that the Ukrainians didn’t know anything about the seized plane and that it had been leased to a Ukrainian outfit.  But based on information from the arrested pilot- Abdullaev, was a Kazakh but who had worked in Georgia. The flag and the emblem were Georgian and belonged to the Georgian airline “Air West”, and registered in Georgia, Batumi.

Nodar Kakabadze, the Director of the Georgian based company also tells that the airplane was leased to Ukraine one month before this incident. It has now been announced by The Kazakhstan Ministry of Transport that the airplane was purchased by Georgia a short time prior from the Kazakhs, However, in the interview given to the “New York Times” - the Director of the Analytical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia tells that the seized “Il-76” was inherited by independent Georgia from the former Soviet Georgia, and it wasn’t suitable for passenger transport.  This is why the airplane was leased to the Ukrainian company, which, according to Kakabadze, is affiliated with the company SP Trading, and is located in Thailand. Here again we run across none other than our familiar Victor Bout.  Based on Internet sources, SP Trading is named as one of the airlines managed by Victor Bout.

In an announcement made for the “Wall Street Journal” Nodar Kakabadze tells that he knows nothing about SP Trading and the “Wall Street Journal” only managed to find out from the Government of New Zealand that the company was established in 2009 and a Georgian airplane full of 40 tons of weapons was seized several months earlier. Western experts think that the weapons were intended for Sudan and Pakistan.

Georgian political and military expertsrecall the liaison between Victor Bout and Georgia upon following his arrest last year, and made the more obvious connections. However, an American journalist is more precise, Jeffrey K. Silverman, who has investigated the topic of weapon sales in Georgia for more than five years, recalls Bout and his activities and whose sources make the link between Temur Alasania, the uncle of the President of Georgia and larger trafficking networks, including Iran and third-world countries, espeically Africa, even sharing documents with human rights investigators.

He reported on Georgian TV how in early 2011 about a link between VIctor Bout and Russian and American intelligence agent, which he describes as some sort of time share, wife swapping, "such an environment as Georgia, unresolved conflicts and lack of territorial integrity allows for all services to have a field day. This former Minister is but your typical run-of-mill drug dealer, as described by his former classmates, his petty dealings are well known, abeit a small fish in compasion to the big players. There should be an investigation of where all these weapons disappeared to, not the ones capatured by the Russians direclty related to the August 2008 war but those that were prepositioned for possible use against Iran. However, this is naive - and to tell it like it is - everybody is interested in covering up these bloody tracks in the snow."

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Armenians of Georgia

Armenians of Javahk http://nukri-ge.livejournal.com/6868.html
Georgian Armenians: the oppressed people of “democratic” state
nukri-ge.livejournal.com
‎
"All-Armenian forum of the Diaspora’s leaders and representatives" has been held on the 19-20 th of September in Yerevan. The event was coincided to the 20 th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.  There needs to be a comprehensive report on the situation in Javakhk, taking into account all the minorities and their cultural and educational rights. I imagine the West is doing some good things too, such as fixing the roads.The roads are now better but that's a very recent occurrence.

Have there been any reports on minorities generally, such as Azerbaijani Turks around Marneuli, or other small groups, even Kartvelian ones? Are there human rights organizations with funding for that sort of thing? I don't think anything less than a comprehensive, Western-backed report would make any difference.

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Joseph Demarest, love G-woman, and slezzy contacts, including those inTbilisi Georgia

FBI's deputy chief of field OPs is in Tbilisi Georgia - something brewing?

Spooky combination, FBI and Vano Merabishvili; soon there will be a cold and iceberg HOMELAND SECURITY in Georgia.

There is a sordid history of visits of the FBI to Georgia,  cover up of the death of PMs, kidnapping of a US citizens off the street and beaten, summarily executions in the Pankisi Valley, and the cover up of a Israeli-Georgian-Jordanian weapons deal that was riddled with corruption. One field agent, former West Point Graduate, homeboy from Mississippi, Bryan.  - ended up married to thewife of a GRU, Russian Military Intelligence Officer, took her first to Ukraine and back to the US. HShe should have her Green Card by now. A former girlfriend told, I don’t know if he is responsible for the death of Zurab Zhvania, former Georgian PM minister who gassed himself (allegedly) along with his homosexual lover (also allegedly)  was promoted. She told that she knew, however, “100 percent that he covered up all the evidence.”

Is this again connected with weapons trafficking, and logistical preparations for Iran?  I guess US Ambassador John Bass and KRB need some backup, as in checks and balances!

Africa. Congo. September 7, 2007.

In the air crash of “AN-12” – killed  8 persons, including two Georgian citizens, including the pilot, Zurab Mosia, 55 years old and also a mechanical worker, and Artur Bagdasarov. No specific information ever about the cargo on board and only it has been mentioned that the airplane registered in the name of “Transaviaservice” – there was no license for the flights, and no safety inspection, since 2007.

Philippines. August 17, 2009.

A ship flying the Panama flag was seized with 13 Georgian sailors. All suspected of weapon smuggling but only an American captain accepts responsibility.

Azerbaijan. Baku. March 17, 2010.

Information agencies of Azerbaijan notify us that the officers of the National Safety Ministry arrested 8 members of a radical religious group, among them- the locals of Dagestan and Chechnya, which were planning these terrorist acts. A large amount of the weapons have been transported to Azerbaijan from Georgia.

Washington  DC, May 5, 2010.

According to American information sources, this case, on corruption including facts of weapons smuggling, where the main suspect is Daniel Alvares, he is also charged with corruption related to weapons sales for Georgian government members.

United States of America. Washington, DC. May 6, 2010. The General Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the USA Robert Muller is in Tbilisi.  Muller had a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs – Vano Merabishvili and Minister of Justice- Zurab Adeishvili. Both meetings were held behind closed doors. The visit of the General Director of FBI to Georgia lasted for several hours.

Anway, regardless of ledger of guilt or innocence where is a better place for tainted FBI agents.

Head of FBI's NY office, Joseph Demarest, reassigned during probe over alleged affair with staffer

BY ALISON GENDAR AND JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, March 19, 2010

New York FBI agents are not exactly distraught over the reassignment of their office's director over a probe into his relationship with a G-woman lover, sources told the Daily News Friday.

 

Joseph Demarest was temporarily reassigned to Washington headquarters while the Justice Department's inspector general reviews the matter, sources said.

"The New York office is celebrating Demarest's demise because he bullied subordinates but let the New York Police Department bully the Bureau," said a retired senior FBI official.

Inspectors are trying to determine how truthful Demarest was about the alleged relationship when he was questioned during an internal review in January, sources said.

Notes

Bribery Probe of Arms Supply Industry Points to Georgia

By Christopher M. Matthews | November 1st, 2010

The U.S. Justice Department’s FCPA investigation of corruption in the international defense supply industry is shining a light on the role Israeli brokers played in preparing the Caucasian republic of Georgia go to war against Russia in 2008. Georgian Ministry of Defense officials allegedly accepted bribes to purchase 21 million rounds of ammunition from a U.S. source. Three defendants in the FBI’s massive FCPA sting case are implicated.

Saakashvili Protégé Helped Lead Georgia to War With Russia

By Steve LeVine | November 1st, 2010

Former Georgian Defense Minister David Kezerashvili spent his teenage years in Israel. “I like weapons a lot. In my case, it is bladed weapons that I like. I have a favorite sword which I carry with me from one office to another,” Kezerashvili told an interviewer in 2006, when President Mikhail Saakashvili elevated him to the defense post at age 28.

Development aid as a "weapons system"--a soft one to be sure

Ranks of USAID riddled with endemic corruption 

I thought of you, when they interviewed Andrew Wilder, a development expert some months ago – and reading about corruption in some of your posting about Georgia, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.  It seems to be never ending.

Andrew Wilder is a professor at Tufts University. And he was talking about how foreign aid can contribute to endemic corruptions.  He talked about how the military in Afghanistan now thinks of development aid as a "weapons system"--a soft one to be sure, but I couldn't believe it was so obviously stated as such.  It's nothing new to us in the trade, but to hear it on the radio, it's a change-it's no long secret.  Aid, which use to be thought of as "honorable, neutral" etc.,  is clearly exposed for what it is; and he talked about how the aid -depending on who gets it--creates winners and losers in the local community. 

He talked about how subcontracting and sub-sub contracting etc just adds to corruption. All this reminded me of your presentation of the Lugar et al report; bio weapons labs in Georgia, Bechtel National and my own work in the Middle East with weapons trafficking. 

From his site, I found this, “Wilder’s current research study is titled Winning Hearts and Minds? Examining the Relationship Between Aid and Security in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa. This 18-month study, funded by AREU and the governments of Australia, Norway, and Sweden, focuses on the central question of the effectiveness of humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in promoting security in insecure areas. In particular, the study is researching the widespread assumption, especially visible these days in counterinsurgency doctrine and operations, that aid projects can help promote stability and security by helping to win hearts and minds.

According to Wilder, “given how influential this assumption is in influencing where aid money is spent, how much is spent, and who spends it, there is currently remarkably little empirical evidence that either proves or disproves the assumption.” Specific study questions include: Does reconstruction assistance win hearts and minds, and if so whose and how? Does winning hearts and minds promote security, and if so how? Is security-driven development effective in achieving poverty alleviation and development objectives?

-- http://www.fastmail.fm - Same, same, but different...