Georgia Invites International Observers to Monitor Pankisi

Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said in an interview with the Georgian daily 24 Hours that Georgia is ready to welcome an international group, including representatives from Russia, to monitor the Pankisi gorge, in an attempt to disavow Russia?s allegations over the presence of Chechen rebels in this north-eastern part of Georgia, near the Russian border.

Burjanadze said that during her visit to Ukraine, where she attended Victor Yushchenko?s presidential inauguration ceremony on January 23, she met with new Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.

?I had a very interesting meeting with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. He was particularly interested regarding the situation over the OSCE border monitoring mission [on Russian-Georgian border, which was suspended after Russia vetoed it] as well as with the situation in the Pankisi gorge. I explained to him that Georgia is ready to welcome the OSCE mission at any time. They can even visit the Pankisi gorge now, without any prior notification to the Georgian government. I also asked [the OSCE Chairman-in-Office] to include representatives from Russia in this mission. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office accepted this invitation,? Nino Burjanadze said.