Center for Citizen Peacebuilding

University of California, Irvine

 

 

Please join us for:

Conversations about Difficult Dialogues

in the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict

informal discussions co-sponsored with

UCI’s Difficult Dialogues Project

 

Featuring

 

Liana Kvarchelia

Deputy Director of the Center for Humanitarian Programs,  one of the longest 
standing NGOs in Abkhazia, established in 1994. Working on a range of civil 
society development issues she is regularly involved as facilitator, trainer
 and moderator in various projects related to conflict transformation and 
civic education both in Abkhazia and in the wider Caucasus framework. Since
 1996 she has been actively involved in a number of projects concerning the 
Georgian/Abkhaz conflict, including participation in long-term programmes 
together with the University of California (Irvine), Conciliation Resources, 
and International Alert.  From 1997 until 2000 she worked as National Community
 Facilitator in the United Nations Volunteer programme in Abkhazia. She spent
the academic year 2000-01 as an International Fellow at Responding to Conflict
in the UK. Liana Kvarchelia was one of the leaders of the "League of Voters 
for Fair Elections" which monitored the 2004 presidential elections in Abkhazia.

and

 

Leonid Lakerbaya

Deputy Prime Minister, Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from December 1992 until 
January1994. From January 1994 till March 1995 he was Deputy Prime Minister. 
In 1994 he was the representative of the Abkhaz President in the Quadripartite
Committee on the return of IDPs and Refugees. Later he was Minister of Foreign 
Affairs for two years. He became the leader of the opposition movement "Aitaira"
 and was elected as member of the Abkhaz Parliament in 2000, where he headed the
 opposition faction. After the Presidential elections in 2004 he was appointed 
Deputy Prime Minister. Mr.  Lakerbaya has participated in the informal Abkhaz/Georgian
 dialogue process organized by Conciliation Resources (London) and the Berghof 
Center for Constructive Conflict Management (Berlin).


The guests will share their experiences engaging over
 the past decade in nongovernmental and governmental 
dialogues to promote peace between Abkhaz and Georgians
 after a bloody war (1992-1993) in this former Soviet 
territory. This is a rare opportunity to meet with 
people who live in a war zone and, despite the obstacles,
 are involved in long-term dialogue projects,including a 
UCI-sponsored process.

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006

 

2:30-3:30 pm, Administration Building, Room 501

6:00-8:00 pm, 7 Gibbs, Irvine (in University Hills)

Please RSVP for these events at 949  824-8687 no later than Thursday, May 25th