Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Georgia setting up two army groups near border with S. Ossetia

01.10.2004 08:03:00 GMT

Moscow. (Interfax) - Georgia is setting up two army groups on the border with the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia as part of its plans to launch strikes at the republic from the direction of Znauri and Tskhinvali, South Ossetian Interior Minister Robert Guliyev told Interfax by phone on Thursday.

"By concentrating their forces in two directions - Tskhinvali and Znauri - the Georgian authorities are entrusting the task of surrounding Tskhinvali and closing the Trans-Caucasus highway to traffic traveling to [Russia's republic of] North Ossetia to these army groups. This will become possible as a result of two parallel strikes," Guliyev said.

"An intelligence report suggests that up to ten T-72 tanks, some of which Tbilisi purchased in Romania and some other tanks that were repaired in Ukraine, have been deployed in Georgia's Kareli district alone. These tanks are expected to take part in an invasion of South Ossetia's Znauri district," he said.

"Several dozen armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles have been deployed by Georgia in Tskhinvali's direction," the minister said.

Over the past few weeks, the Georgian Interior Ministry has significantly expanded its police contingents in South Ossetia's Georgian villages of Kekhvi, Kurta, Achabeti and Tamarasheni, Guliyev said.

"The Georgian authorities need to understand that a military solution will not suit the South Ossetian problem," he said.

Georgian Separatist Conflicts Minister Giorgi Khaindrava later in the day denied any Georgian build-up of troops to launch strikes at South Ossetia.

"This is total nonsense. I am not even going to comment on it," he said.

South Ossetia is legally a province of Georgia, but a conflict in the 1990s led to its de facto independence. Tensions between Tbilisi and Tskhinvali have escalated in recent months, as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has stepped up efforts to restore control over South Ossetia.

The Joint Control Commission on the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict is holding a session in Moscow on Thursday to discuss ways to ease tensions. The commission comprises representatives of Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia.



http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Geor&pg=0&id=5759184&req=