20 July 2004, 20:01
S. Ossetia speaking about war
On July 20, while in Batumi, Ajaria, President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia said official Tbilisi was ready to withdraw from agreements and arrangements for the settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict signed by his predecessor, Eduard Shevardnadze, and denounce them. He also said he was not going to give orders for the units of Georgia's law enforcement and security agencies to pull out from the conflict area, although they stayed there counter to the agreements reached.
Saakashvili's speech was evaluated as a provocation in South Ossetia. In connection with this, the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry has today said in a statement the possible denunciation by Georgia of the Dagomys Agreement means a return to war which this agreement made possible to stop in 1992. "Still loyal to the to the process of settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict exclusively in a peaceful way, South Ossetia expresses hope that the international community will take necessary measures to influence the Georgian leadership with a view to official Tbilisi keeping to agreements and obligations achieved within the scope of international law and approved of by the international community," the statement says.
Author: Inga Kochiyeva, CK correspondent
