World press on presidential elections in Georgia and US sanctions against Iran (November 2-3, 2013)

Tageszeitung published an article by Barbara Oertel devoted to the recently-held presidential elections in Georgia and headlined "Saakaschwilis zwiespältiges Erbe" ("Saakashvili's Ambiguous Heritage").

According to the author, the Georgian elections are extraordinary because the elections which ended Saakashvili's ten-year rule proceeded in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. 

"Another reason is that these elections marked the transition to a parliamentary democracy," Oertel writes. "This transition is a risky experiment which may not have any result, because Georgia doesn't have a stable party system."

"Saakashvili's heritage is ambiguous," she writes. "No shocking footage of prison tortures is circulating now, but the arrests of the former prime minister and other members of the cabinet throw into question the way the Georgian Dream coalition is dealing with its political opponents."

The Jerusalem Post published an article devoted to the economic sanctions imposed on Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.

"The US has not offered any sanctions relief to Iran," the lead US negotiator with Iran, Wendy Sherman told Channel 10 ahead of talks between Tehran and world powers scheduled for November 7-8 in Geneva," the article begins.

"We have not offered any sanctions relief on Iran, and we have not removed any sanctions," Sherman is quoted as saying in an interview with Channel 10.

"The Obama administration has been seeking to dissuade US lawmakers from imposing fresh sanctions against Iran to allow for flexibility going into the second round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme," the article reads. 

"According to the US under secretary of state, Israel's security interests will not be dismissed during the negotiating process, which she said is still in the preliminary stages," the Jerusalem Post writes.