Georgia Faces a Bloody Provocation Again

“Representatives of Abkhaz and Russian government on one hand, and Georgian government on the other hand were disseminating absolutely opposite pieces of information yesterday”, the Dilis Gazeti says. According to Russian informational agencies, a clash between Abkhaz fighters and a joint force of Georgian and Chechen guerrillas took place on the territory of self-declared Abkhazian Republic.

State Ministry, Special Affairs Ministry, and Defense Ministry of Georgia state they are sure no incident has taken place in Gulripsh region, near Kodori gorge.  According to the Resonance, Georgian partisans claim there are 70 Chechen and Georgian fighters in Gulripsh but according to Abkhazs, over 400 fighters have advanced from Abkhazia’s Kodori gorge.

The Dilis Gazeti assumes that both Georgian and Russian-Abkhazian sides use fantasy while stating about the fact.

UN special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict Dieter Boden admits the incident occurred in Gulripsh. Both Georgian partisans and government of self-declared Abkhazia state the same. Head of the Defense and Security Committee Giorgi Baramidze, in difference with other Georgian state officials, admitted the incident also. He says that proceedings occurring in Georgia are very dangerous for the country (the Resonance).

The crime rate rose in Pankisi gorge together with the situation getting tenser in Abkhazia. Events in Kodori and Panksisi coincided with President Shevardnadze’s absence from Georgia (he is visiting the U.S.). All this was preceded by express visits of Georgian state officials to Moscow, the Resonance states. The paper goes on to say that version of the provocation set by Russian special agencies in not excluded in Georgian Parliament. “According to another version, occurrences in Pankisi and Kodori are an attempt of state turn over”, the paper says.

The Dilis Gazeti considers that the operation in Kodori Gorge serves to wipe out Chechen “terrorists” and Georgian partisans supporting him.

“The facts is that Georgian government could not sustain peace for less that a week. Danger of bloody provocation poses threat to Georgia again”, the Resonance states.