Tbilisi/Moscow  - Four months after the war in Georgia, Georgia's Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili continued to award key portfolios in his cabinet Tuesday.

Georgia's former ambassador to the US, David Sicharulidse, was going to head the country's Defence Ministry, while Lasha Shvania, another diplomat, would be economics minister, the prime minister was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

The appointments followed the dismissals of Eka Tkeshelashvili as foreign minister and David Keserashvili as defence minister.

Moscow/Tbilisi - The government of Georgia sees room for restoring diplomatic relations with Russia despite the war the two nations fought in August, says Georgia's new foreign minister, according to a Russian newspaper.

"We are open to negotiations," said Grigol Vasadze, quoted in the Monday edition of Kommersant, a Moscow daily.

Commentators say Vasadze's appointment is a positive sign for relations between Russia and Georgia. Vasadze lived in Russia for 30 years and still holds Russian citizenship.

Helsinki  - Proposals to continue Geneva-based peace talks between Russia and Georgia were welcomed Thursday by several foreign ministers in Finland to attend a meeting of the 56-nation Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The European Union and the OSCE helped broker a ceasefire after the war in August. That included the stationing of military monitors from the OSCE.

Tbilisi - Georgia has broken off ties with Nicaragua after the latter recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgia regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, media reports said Saturday.

The government in Tbilisi delivered a note to the Nicaraguan ambassador to the United Nations notifying him of the formal break in diplomatic relations, the Interfax news agency reported.

On September 2, Nicaragua became second country in the world after Russia to recognize the independence of the two regions following Georgia's August war with Russia.

Brussels  - Despite intense lobbying, Georgia and Ukraine look certain not to be offered a fast track towards NATO membership when alliance foreign ministers meet on Tuesday to discuss their membership hopes, diplomats said.

"There does not need at this point in time to be any discussion of a membership action plan (MAP) ... Georgia and Ukraine are not ready for membership. That is very clear," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday.

Warsaw - The head of security for Polish President Lech Kaczynski was fired after shooting rang out on Sunday near the Polish and Georgian presidential motorcade near the South Ossetian border, local media reported on Thursday.

Colonel Krzysztof Olszowiec was fired amid allegations he had failed to provide adequate security during the incident, Polish media reported.

The government issued a report on Thursday saying the incident was not an attack on the Georgian and Polish presidents, and Poland's Government Protection Bureau (BOR) was not given adequate time to arrange security for the visit, reported the Polish Press Agency.