By empty (9/4/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Merab Antadze has accused Russia of attempts to destabilize Georgia and of escalating hostilities in the Tskhinvali district. \"Yesterday\'s shooting at a Georgian helicopter was further proof that the Russian political administration, which fully controls the peacekeeping operation in the Tskhinvali district, does not assist the comprehensive peace settlement of the conflict, and instead tries to retain real mechanisms for provocative acts in Georgia, destabilization and a resumption of the hostilities,\" he told a Monday press briefing. \"Statements by Russian officials who accused Georgia of a provocative act in the helicopter shooting incident, are totally unacceptable,\" Antadze said.

By empty (9/3/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A treaty on turning Central Asia into a nuclear-free zone is expected to be signed in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, on September 8, a military-diplomatic source in Moscow told Interfax-AVN. \"The treaty will be signed by the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,\" the source said. The treaty consists of two parts.

By empty (9/2/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is expected to soar by 59% this year, providing 92% of the world\'s supply of opium, the United Nations says. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime predicted a 6,100-tonne harvest of opium, with much of the rise coming in Taleban strongholds in the south. The US is the main backer of a huge drive to rid Afghanistan of opium.