Saakashvili Demands Release of Georgian Journalists Detained in Beslan

President Saakashvili expressed concern over the detention of a correspondent of the Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 television Nana Lezhava and cameraman Levan Tetvadze on September 4 in North Ossetia?s city of Beslan and demanded her immediate release.
 
The Russian news agency Interfax reports quoting the local police official, that the North Ossetian police detained Nana Lezhava and Levan Tetvadze, since they had no Russian visa and special journalist accreditations. 
 
President Saakashvili said, he would summon Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vladimir Chkhikvishvili to settle this issue.
 
?If the Georgian journalist is not still released later today, I will have a telephone conversation with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. I understand that it is a hard time for Russia now, but we can not remain indifferent towards the fate of out citizen,? Saakashvili said at a session of the National Security Council on September 4.

Rustavi 2 television reported that Nana Lezhava and Levan Tetvadze did not need Russian visa to visit Russia?s North Ossetian Republic, as they had IDs issued by the administration of Kazbegi, town in northern Georgia. According to the agreement between the two countries, the residents of the regions adjacent to the state border between Russia and Georgia can move across the border without visas.