Peacekeepers to Set up More Checkpoints in South Ossetia

Two additional checkpoints of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces will be deployed in the South Ossetian conflict area, near Tskhinvali, amid sporadic shootouts, which mainly occur during the nights, Aleksandre Kiknadze, the Commander of the Georgian battalion of the joint peacekeeping troops, told Civil Georgia on October 25.  
 
Earlier today, residents of the Georgian village of Achabeti held a protest rally demanding to maintain a ceasefire in the conflict zone. A similar rally of the Georgian population in the conflict zone was held on October 19, also protesting against the frequent shootouts in the region. The village of Anchabeti came under shelling last night. Georgian and South Ossetian sides blame each other of opening fire.

Commander of the joint – Georgia, Russian, Ossetian – peacekeeping troops, Murat Kulakhmetov arrived in the village of Anchabeti and met with the protesters. He tried to allay the Georgian population’s fears, who claim that the Ossetians “are trying to terrorize the Georgians with shelling.”

“They [Ossetians] want us to move from our homes,” one of the protesters told Russian chief peacekeeper Maj. Gen. Kulakhmetov.

“I want to assure you that Ossetians do not aim at forcing you to leave your homes; they do not pursue this kind of policy,” Maj.Gen. Kulakhmetov told the Georgian protesters. The dialogue was broadcasted by Georgian television stations.

According to the Commander of the Georgian peacekeeping battalion Aleksandre Kiknadze, currently the situation has calmed down and no shots have recently been heard so the Georgian population has suspended rallying.