Georgia On Offensive [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Not included in this report is the fact that both Georgia and its main regional ally Azerbaijan are Partnership for Peace NATO candidates, and as such presumably countries that NATO is mandated to 'defend' in the event of inter-state conflicts with non-NATO countries. Both Georgia and Azerbaijan have effectively been ceded to NATO linchpin Turkey's sphere of influence, with Ankara's military training and coordinating command structures with both the former. The targets of this Ankara-Tbilisi-Baku axis are not only Abkhazia and Russia, but also South Ossetia, Armenia and Iran. NATO "from the Baltic to the Black Sea," as Bulgrian President Petar Stoyanov announced in this week's NATO meeting in Sofia. Though the Black Sea is not the end point of NATO's ambitions.] The Scotsman October 12, 2001 -According to Russian media accounts, the Kremlin suspects Georgia of allowing Chechen fighters once based in the Pankisi Gorge...to cross into Abkhazia. -Both Abkhazia and Russia accuse Georgia of striking a deal with the Chechens to help with guerrilla attacks in Abkhazia. Abkhazians warn of steps towards war TENSIONS in Georgias breakaway republic of Abkhazia worsened yesterday despite efforts by the Georgian president, Eduard Shevardnadze, to defuse the situation. Georgias defence minister, David Tevzadze, yesterday announced troops were being sent to the part of the Kodori Gorge under Georgian control to defend the local population. However, Vladimir Mikanba, Abkhazias defence minister, said the move was "a step towards war". On Wednesday, officials in Moscow announced they were deploying more troops on Russias border with Abkhazia. Tensions in the area flared up last week when Abkhazians clashed with 200 to 300 guerrillas operating in the lawless Kodori Gorge. On Monday, unidentified gunmen shot down a United Nations helicopter in the gorge, killing all nine people on board. Fourteen villagers were killed on Monday night, and Abkhazia, Georgia and Russia traded accusations about aircraft that bombed the area on Tuesday. Mr Mikanba said skirmishes were continuing yesterday. Meanwhile, troops in the southern Russian region of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, which borders Abkhazia, were placed on higher alert and security was been stepped up at 16 mountain passes. According to Russian media accounts, Kremlin officials suspect Georgia of letting Chechen fighters once based in the Pankisi Gorge, a rugged mountain canyon connecting Georgia with Chechnya, to cross into Abkhazia. Moscow has long accused Georgia, the only foreign country that borders Chechnya, of harbouring Chechen rebels. Georgia has denied the allegations. Both Abkhazia and Russia accuse Georgia of striking a deal with the Chechens to help with guerrilla attacks in Abkhazia. Tbilisi accuses Moscow of helping the Abkhazians to break away. In Tbilisi, about 1,000 ethnic Georgian refugees from the region held a rally yesterday near Mr Shevardnadzes office. They demanded that the government back up ethnic Georgian guerrillas in Abkhazia and demand the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers. The crowd then moved to the Russian embassy and threatened to disrupt its operations if Russian peacekeeping troops were not withdrawn. Under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russia sent peacekeepers to the border between Georgia and Abkhazia in 1994 to try to ease tensions after a 1992-93 war between Georgia and Abkhazia led to de facto independence for the rebel Black Sea province and Tbilisis humiliating withdrawal. Some 250,000 civilians were forced to leave their homes then. Mr Shevardnadze told the crowd that his government had done "everything possible for a peaceful settlement of the conflict and continues to take steps in this direction". However, he said, if parliament decided to call for the peacekeepers to be withdrawn, "then the president will abide by that". Mr Shevardnadze has repeatedly voted at CIS summits for the peacekeepers to remain in place. Parliament was about to meet to decide whether to ask Russia to pull its troops out of the conflict zone. Foreign Staff Friday, 12th October 2001 The Scotsman __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9NCEt Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
