Unpublished documents produced by the European Union commission that investigated the conflict between Georgia and Moscow assign much of the blame to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. But the Kremlin and Ossetian militias are also partly responsible. From her office on Avenue de la Paix, Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, 58, looks out onto the botanical gardens in peaceful Geneva. The view offers a welcome respite from the stacks of documents on her desk, which deal exclusively with war and war blame. They contain the responses, from the conflicting parties in the Caucasus region -- Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- to a European Union investigative commission conducting a probe of the cause of the five-day war last August. The documents also include reports on the EU commission's trips to Moscow, the Georgian capital Tbilisi and the capitals of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, dossiers assembled by experts and the transcripts of interviews of diplomats, military officials and civilian victims of the war.
Unpublished documents produced by the European Union commission that investigated the conflict between Georgia and Moscow assign much of the blame to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. But the Kremlin and Ossetian militias are also partly responsible.
From her office on Avenue de la Paix, Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, 58, looks out onto the botanical gardens in peaceful Geneva. The view offers a welcome respite from the stacks of documents on her desk, which deal exclusively with war and war blame. They contain the responses, from the conflicting parties in the Caucasus region -- Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- to a European Union investigative commission conducting a probe of the cause of the five-day war last August. The documents also include reports on the EU commission's trips to Moscow, the Georgian capital Tbilisi and the capitals of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, dossiers assembled by experts and the transcripts of interviews of diplomats, military officials and civilian victims of the war.
The United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague has put on trial its former spokeswoman Florence Hartmann, who is charged with contempt of court.The tribunal accuses the Frenchwoman of revealing confidential information following the trial of the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. The charges relate to a book written by Ms Hartmann and published in 2007. They carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail and a 100,000-euro (£85,000) fine. She denies the charges.
The United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague has put on trial its former spokeswoman Florence Hartmann, who is charged with contempt of court.
The tribunal accuses the Frenchwoman of revealing confidential information following the trial of the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The charges relate to a book written by Ms Hartmann and published in 2007.
They carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail and a 100,000-euro (£85,000) fine. She denies the charges.
Georgian police used their truncheons to disperse a group of about 50 protestors in central Tsibili, according to a Reuters photographer, breaking up a demonstration demanding the release of several opposition activists detained last week. REUTERS - Masked police beat dozens of opposition protesters in the Georgian capital on Monday, a Reuters photographer said, in the latest flare-up during a weeks-long street campaign against the president. Dozens of black-clad men armed with truncheons emerged from the main police station in Tbilisi to confront a protest of about 50 people demanding the release of several opposition activists detained last week. Tensions were running high in the former Soviet republic, where President Mikheil Saakashvili has resisted more than two months of protests and roadblocks in Tbilisi. Protesters want him to quit over his record on democracy and last year's disastrous war with Russia.
REUTERS - Masked police beat dozens of opposition protesters in the Georgian capital on Monday, a Reuters photographer said, in the latest flare-up during a weeks-long street campaign against the president.
Dozens of black-clad men armed with truncheons emerged from the main police station in Tbilisi to confront a protest of about 50 people demanding the release of several opposition activists detained last week.
Tensions were running high in the former Soviet republic, where President Mikheil Saakashvili has resisted more than two months of protests and roadblocks in Tbilisi. Protesters want him to quit over his record on democracy and last year's disastrous war with Russia.
It's one of the rare occasions the use of television impressed me.
It will be similar in scope and make-up to the Franks Inquiry that examined the Falklands conflict in 1982. Mr Brown announced the move in a statement at the House of Commons on Monday afternoon saying the scope and length of the inquiry would be unprecedented.
It will be similar in scope and make-up to the Franks Inquiry that examined the Falklands conflict in 1982.
Mr Brown announced the move in a statement at the House of Commons on Monday afternoon saying the scope and length of the inquiry would be unprecedented.
Gordon Brown ran into fresh trouble today as he announced that the long-awaited Iraq war inquiry would be held in secret. Opposition parties and campaigners reacted angrily as he said that the inquiry, to be headed by the former mandarin Sir John Chilcot, would be along the lines of the Franks inquiry into the Falklands, which was held in private, and would not report until after the general election. The inquiry will cover the period from July 2001 to July 2009. It will begin work next month and take at least a year, Mr Brown said. Its aim will be to identify "lessons learned" and not to "apportion blame". Mr Brown's decision to announce the inquiry was seen as part of his effort to regain the initiative after his leadership troubles. But he appeared to have upset Labour MPs who have been demanding an inquiry in public.
Gordon Brown ran into fresh trouble today as he announced that the long-awaited Iraq war inquiry would be held in secret.
Opposition parties and campaigners reacted angrily as he said that the inquiry, to be headed by the former mandarin Sir John Chilcot, would be along the lines of the Franks inquiry into the Falklands, which was held in private, and would not report until after the general election.
The inquiry will cover the period from July 2001 to July 2009. It will begin work next month and take at least a year, Mr Brown said. Its aim will be to identify "lessons learned" and not to "apportion blame".
Mr Brown's decision to announce the inquiry was seen as part of his effort to regain the initiative after his leadership troubles. But he appeared to have upset Labour MPs who have been demanding an inquiry in public.
After the [cough] full investigation we're pleased to report [slightly strained smile] that there were no irregularities in the run up to the war [shuffle, shuffle] and that parliament was kept fully informed in every applicable way. [paper rustles, ambient coughing, cameras clicking]
I'd like to thank my colleagues [etc, etc...]
You were expecting democracy?
So there will be a new "inquiry" that will ask irrelevant questions and deliberate for long enough insecret to allow the next election to be conducted without embarrasing questions. Of course the final result, like the Franks, Butler & Hutton inquiries before it, will come up with an answer that is entirely consistent with the status quo.
But that's what these inquiries are for, to kick difficult questions into long grass in th future and then, lo and behold.. confirm what the original govt wanted you to believe in the first place, move along nothing to see here. No govt has ever commissioned an inquiry that might come back and report that they were wrong or lying. And no inquiry would ever do that cos it would be a career limiting decision. keep to the Fen Causeway
The Prime Minister was criticised after insisting hearings could not be held in public due to national security considerations.Tory leader David Cameron said: "The inquiry needs to be, and needs to be seen to be, truly independent and not an establishment stitch-up," he said.Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said he had held talks with bereaved relatives of service personnel who had urged him to press for a full public inquiry."A secret inquiry conducted by a clutch of grandees handpicked by the Prime Minister is not what Britain needs," he said. "The Government must not be allowed to close the book on this war as it opened it - in secrecy."
The Prime Minister was criticised after insisting hearings could not be held in public due to national security considerations.
Tory leader David Cameron said: "The inquiry needs to be, and needs to be seen to be, truly independent and not an establishment stitch-up," he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said he had held talks with bereaved relatives of service personnel who had urged him to press for a full public inquiry.
"A secret inquiry conducted by a clutch of grandees handpicked by the Prime Minister is not what Britain needs," he said. "The Government must not be allowed to close the book on this war as it opened it - in secrecy."
The Opposition's retort For 338 paragraphs he painted a splendid picture, delineated the light and the shade, and the glowing colours in it, and when Franks got to paragraph 339 he got fed up with the canvas he was painting, and chucked a bucket of whitewash over it. Former Prime Minister James Callaghan, to the Commons
Former Prime Minister James Callaghan, to the Commons
Evidently Brown likes the idea of yet another load of whitewash. But NuLab do rather like their rigged committees of inquiry. keep to the Fen Causeway
