Mikhail Saakashvili Halloos Special Forces at Russian Peacekeepers
// Georgian president overblew a scandal over the detention of policemen
The Georgia-Abkhazia conflict zone yesterday had the gravest incident of recent years. Russian peacekeepers detained a group of Georgian policemen who, according to ‘blue helmets’, threatened to physically harm them. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, accompanied by special task forces, arrived to the incident site very soon. He proclaimed Sergei Chaban, the commander of Collective Peacekeeping Forces (CPF) in the conflict zone, a persona non grata, and threatened opening fire on peacekeepers in the future. Observers believe that Saakashvili’s activity is aimed at diverting attention from the upcoming opposition rally in Tbilisi this weekend.
Two Versions
Everything began in the morning, when a CIS CPF patrol was on a daily patrolling in the safety zone which includes Abkhazia’s Gali region and the adjacent territory of Georgia’s Zugdidi region. Among all other things, peacekeepers are now busy trying to prevent the spread of cattle epidemic of ‘African plague’ which was registered in the region recently. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Diordiev, assistant CPF commander in the conflict zone, said that was the reason why peacekeepers stopped at a crossroads one kilometer north from the Inguri river’s mouth yesterday morning. Together with an accompanying veterinarian, they began inspecting the territory in search of dead cattle.
According to Russia’s version, Georgian police officer Major Khurtsia appeared in the location soon, and “loudly, using obscene words, expressed direct threats to burn the peacekeepers’ armored vehicle and to shoot the Russian servicemen dead”.
“In response to the Georgian police officer, the peacekeepers explained that they were on regular patrolling, and that his actions and hostile rhetoric was hampering the implementation of tasks with which the patrol’s servicemen had been commissioned. However, it did not produce any effect. When the Georgian policeman attempted to use physical force against the patrol’s chief officer, the peacekeepers took measures for securing the commander’s personal safety: the Georgian policeman and Georgian servicemen accompanying him were detained and disarmed,” said Diordiev.
Tbilisi views the situation absolutely differently, that is as a provocation by Russian peacekeepers against “the camp of Georgia’s young patriots”, located in the incident’s area. “Drunken Russian peacekeepers in an armored vehicle, together with Abkhaz separatists, intruded on Tuesday morning the village of Ganmuhuri. They managed to disarm several special task fighters of Georgia’s Interior Ministry, kidnapped them, and took them away in unknown direction,” said Raul Kiria, head of the media center of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic’s pro-Georgian administration.
“It was a non-provoked attack, and we do not know the motive. Three our policemen have been cruelly beaten. Shooting could be heard for several minutes in Ganmuhuri. So, the Patriot youth camp is now empty: there are no campers,” said Shota Utiashvili, head of the Interior Ministry’s analysis department.
One President
However, several hours later the detained Georgian policemen were turned over to the Georgian authorities, and the situation could normalize still. By that time, CPF commander Major General Chaban, UN military observers, and the Georgian president’s Plenipotentiary in the Samegrelo-Zemo-Svaneti region Zaza Gorozia arrived to the incident site. Gorozia engaged in a long dispute with Chaban, eventually saying that “no one is afraid of them [peacekeepers], and they will see it soon”. Meanwhile, Georgian military units, peacekeepers, and armed formations of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia started concentrating near the village.
The continuation followed soon. Already in the afternoon, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili became the main character. His picturesque appearance in the company of several hundreds of special task fighters, who debarked from helicopters, strongly impressed those who witnessed it. The president and Georgia’s Defense Minister David Kezerashvili, who arrived together with Saakashvili, immediately went to the peacekeepers, on the way giving orders to remove all Russian servicemen from the village. As witnesses said, the presidential guard pressed Russians away, demonstratively using their gun-butts, and leaving Saakashvili one-on-one with the chief officer of the peacekeeping patrol (Chaban had already left the village).
“I demand immediately making apologies to the beaten Georgian servicemen and putting the youth camp in order,” said Saakashvili to the Russian officer. “If it ever happens again, you will put Russia and Georgia on the brink of a very serious conflict.” The president added emphatically that Georgia “will very soon solve the issue of peacekeepers at large and of their stay in the conflict zone”. “I ask you to pass it to General Chaban that I proclaim him a persona non grata in Georgia. Tell him to leave the country’s territory immediately,” snapped Saakashvili.
A spokesman of Georgia’s State Ministry for Conflict Settlement explained on Tuesday that “General Chaban’s term as the CPF commander has expired long ago”. “Georgia did not give its agreement to extending Chaban’s term as the CPF commander, and did not prolong his visa for staying in Georgia. So, he has been staying in the country illegally,” the source said.
Later, in his interview to Rustavi 2 Georgian TV channel, Saakashvili said the detention of Georgian servicemen was a provocation. Besides, he threatened to give orders “to open fire from all weapons” if a similar incident takes place again. “Our weapons are considerable, you know,” added the Georgian leader.
Different Explanations
“Tbilisi is once again challenging the world community by ignoring the last resolution of the UN Security Council, which says the parties should not hamper the patrols of UN military observers and the CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone,” Foreign Minister of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba said Tuesday. Sukhumi believes that Tbilisi is plotting a provocation aimed at discrediting Russian peacekeepers. “According to our information, Georgia stored up about 200 sets of Russian peacekeepers’ uniform in Zugdidi region. Moreover, peacekeepers’ identification marking was painted on several vehicles,” said Ruslan Kishmariya, Abkhazian Presidential Plenipotentiary in Gali region. “Apparently, Georgia is planning an armed action against local residents, in disguise of Russian peacekeepers,” he added. So, all Abkhazian block-posts in Gali region have been alerted, and the frontier posts along the entire border with Georgia were strengthened as well.
However, most experts believe the incident in Ganmuhuri, no matter who provoked it, plays right into Saakashvili’s hands. “Russian peacekeepers’ actions are simply a gift for Georgia’s authorities, because the president and his team received a legitimate opportunity to divert attention and public emotions to peacekeepers and Abkhazia on the eve of the upcoming opposition rally on November 2,” thinks Georgian expert Murman Kuprashvili, among others.
Meanwhile, Chaban decided to ignore Saakashvili’s words altogether. “The CPF commander is appointed by the Council of CIS Defense Ministers. If there is an order, I will obey it. But I am not going to leave the country without the order,” the general said.
Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi; Olga Berezintseva
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 31, 2007
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