Georgia 'uncovers military coup'

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

Georgia has uncovered an attempted military coup, the country's defence minister says.

David Sikharulidze said the rebellion was centred around the Mukhrovani military base.

It was not immediately clear whether the supposed coup had already been launched, or whether the government had just disrupted an alleged plot.

The announcement was made just a day before controversial Nato military exercises are due to begin in Georgia.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8033366.stm

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2nd two paras subsequently changed to read :

It came after officials said they had uncovered a coup plot - linked to Russia and aimed at assassinating President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Russia described the charge as "delirium", a news agency said.

[destes]

1. And we were concerned about Texas seceding?

[prostock69]

2. Georgia, as in the country next to Russia, not Georgia of the U.S.

At first I thought the same thing too :)

[destes]

8. pssssst......

I was kidding.

[Soylent Brice]

3. ...

[Rebubula]

4. If Georgia is rising up...

...Alabama cannot be far behind.

[bemildred]

5. Now says "Georgian troop rebellion 'over' "

Apparently a tank battalion mutinied.

[bemildred]

6. Georgian Tank Battalion Mutiny Won’t Affect NATO War Games

May 5 (Bloomberg) -- The mutiny of a Georgian tank battalion today won’t affect NATO-led war games scheduled to begin tomorrow at a military base near the capital Tbilisi, an alliance spokeswoman said.

“The exercise is on,” Carmen Romero said by telephone in Brussels today. Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Giorgi Muchaidze confirmed that the Cooperative Longbow - Cooperative Lancer 09 war games, which will last until June 1 at the Vaziani base, will “definitely go ahead.”

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said the mutiny by about 500 soldiers at the Mukhrovani base near the central city of Gori had ended by mid-afternoon. Police are in control of the base and the situation is calm, ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said by telephone. No injuries were reported.

The U.S. and Georgia held exercises at Vaziani in mid-July 2008, three weeks before the start of a five-day war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russia bombed the base and routed Georgia’s army in the conflict. It later recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, as sovereign countries and deployed troops in both regions.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=a3ySXQHfi0es&refer=europe

Everything is under control. We are in charge. Resume your normal activities.

[AlphaCentauri]

7. Saakashvili is a drama queen

He is provoking the Russians so he can get money from the west, it does not make sense to have NATO practicing target next to Russia's side steps.

[destes]

9. Hey, they got pipe lines. NATO never met a pipeline it didn't like.

[ohio2007]

10. Russia wants those three new pipelines and is willing to annex Georgia to get them

This is Obama's six month 3AM sake up call test. Will he throw the republic under the Russian tanks ?

[destes]

11. If I were him I'd let NATO take the heat ......

...after all, It's primarily European interests that need that oil. Obama needs to maintain the "plausible deni-ability" so popular back in Nixon's day.

That is, of course, unless he really DOES have a tight rein on the hearts and minds of the planet. But the fate of most messiahs does not lend them to re-election.

[annabanana]

12. Georgia started that LAST dust-up

(even Voice of America admits that)
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-11-voa63.cfm?CFID=186662472&CFTOKEN=75026423&jsessionid=8430bfd674ceba47aa422756810122d411f6

[AlphaCentauri]

13. Journalist protests over Editorial Policy in Georgia

In a joint statement to the management, a group of Imedi TV employees expressed protest over the television station’s editorial policy saying that its news service was not covering ongoing developments in the country objectively, the Georgian daily Rezonansi, reported on May 5.

...

According to the statement, at a staff meeting held in September, 2008, after the television station resumed news programs, the management has “banned journalists” to interview non-parliamentary opposition politicians and some opposition-leaning experts. Coverage of issues related with problems of displaced persons has also been banned, according to the statement, “under the pretext that it would have created ‘problems’ for the authorities.”

According to the statement, the television station’s management “blocked” to air statement by Patriarch of Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, on April 8, on the eve of launch of protest rallies, in which he called on the Georgian army not to use force against protesters. The Imedi TV employees’ statement says that two journalists of the television stations decided to quit in protest after the Patriarch’s remarks were censored.

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=20856