* The commander of the Georgian peacekeeping force in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict area denied reports about the alleged attack on the separatist region
* Tehran is prepared for negotiations on the Iran nuclear issue without preconditions, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said
* Foreign Minister of Japan Taro Aso said he expected a date for the resumption of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program to be announced Monday, January 29
* Head of the Russian Security Council Igor Ivanov said the Bushehr nuclear power plant being built in Iran with Russia's technical assistance will be commissioned on schedule
* Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the Islamic Republic is prepared together with Russia to provide security in the Caucasus and Central Asia
* About 2,000 supporters of the Musavat opposition party in Azerbaijan held an authorized rally in the republic's capital Baku to protest over rising energy and public utility rates
