By empty (10/3/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

More than half of eligible voters in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia turned out to vote for a successor to ailing President Vladislav Ardzinba on 3 October. The election featured five candidates, none of whom was able to garner the sufficient number of votes needed to avoid a special runoff election. Of the five, the Abkhazian government\'s favored candidate, former Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba, and opposition contender Sergei Bagapsh are reported to be the leading the rest of the field.

By empty (10/2/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Georgian Interior Minster Irakli Okruashvili offered on 2 October to provide Russian officials with a list of all people living in the country\'s Pankisi Gorge. The Georgian offer, announced during a CIS Ministerial Summit in Kyiv, follows renewed Russian concern over the use of the Pankisi Gorge as a staging area by Chechen rebels for cross-border attacks in Russia. In the wake of the attack on a school in North Ossetia by Chechen terrorists, Russian security forces have been exerting pressure on Georgia to introduce stricter measures along its border with Russia.

By empty (10/1/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

In comments during an interview with Armenian Public Television on 30 September, Serzh Sarkisian admitted that he shared public concern over the deployment of an Armenian contingent to Iraq, Arminfo reported. Sarkisian added that although the small Armenian community in Iraq may become a target for terrorist attack, no country is immune from such danger and cited the move as Armenia\'s contribution to stability. The Armenian deployment to Iraq, consisting of 31 military drivers, six engineers, 10 sappers, and three doctors, is now awaiting parliamentary approval.