By empty (2/1/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The US has been warned by some of the world\'s leading aid agencies that its plan to eradicate Afghanistan\'s opium fields could backfire. In a letter to new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, they warn that any \"premature\" act risks destabilising large parts of the country. They call for a greater emphasis on providing rural development and alternative crops for opium farmers.

By empty (1/31/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Former Georgian president Zviad Gamsakhurdia\'s widow Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia said the Nobel Prize should not be awarded to current Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia is the leader of a large union of Georgian opposition forces. \"Saakashvili and his allies are not concerned about the fate of Georgia at all, all of his actions are dictated by the West, and he may receive a Nobel Prize for that,\" Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia told a press conference on Monday.

By empty (1/31/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The OSCE\'s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 28 January officially opened its observer mission to Tajikistan\'s 27 February parliamentary elections, RFE/RL\'s Tajik Service reported. Mission head Peter Eicher said that monitors will assess the elections\' adherence to international standards in terms of preparedness, observance of law, and media coverage. Eicher noted that while Tajikistan\'s election law ensures the overall transparency of the electoral process, it does not provide for sufficient balance in the composition of local election commissions.