By empty (9/22/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The CIS leaders who attended the CIS summit in Yalta on 18-19 September signed a statement on 19 September reaffirming their commitment to earlier statements upholding Georgia\'s sovereignty over the breakaway Republic of Abkhazia. On 22 September, Georgian President Shevardnadze said during his regular Monday radio interview that Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov refused on 18 September to include the Abkhaz issue in the agenda for the CIS foreign ministers\' meeting that day. Shevardnadze persuaded the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Leonid Kuchma, respectively, to include Abkhaz among the issues to be discussed by CIS presidents on 19 September.

By empty (9/22/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Donna Dowsett-Coirolo, who is the World Bank\'s director for the South Caucasus, on 19 September praised Armenia\'s economic growth as \"very impressive,\" RFE/RL\'s Yerevan bureau reported. She also described as \"very good\" the 12-year poverty-reduction program approved by the government last month. Dowsett-Coirolo predicted that the bank will continue and may even increase its funding for Armenia in a new four-year Country Assistance Strategy to be unveiled next year.

By empty (9/21/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Elections to local maslikhats (councils) were held throughout Kazakhstan on 20 September, with only 56.4 percent of the eligible electorate having voted by poll-closing time, the Central Election Commission reported. Council members were elected in 2,062 electoral districts; a second round will be held in 433 districts and 59 will have to hold new elections.