(Tbilisi, June 7 2003, Civil Georgia) – Late last night additional unit of the special forces of the Georgian Ministry of Defense were dispatched to Kodori gorge to search for abducted UN observers.
?Unfortunately there are no developments in this regard. Up to now we have no official confirmation where the hostages or hostage-takers are,? Sergei Shiglov, Senior Liaisons Officer at the UNOMIG, Tbilisi Office told Civil Georgia on June 7.
Sergei Shiglov also said that there was radio contact neither with the hostage-takers nor with the UN observers since their capture. ?We have no official information about the conditions of the hostages and their whereabouts,? UNOMIG official added.
However, UN news centre in New York reported on June 5 quoting the UN spokesman that the hostages ?managed to report by radio that they were unharmed.?
The incident occurred on June 5 when a joint UN Mission and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping force were patrolling in the upper Kodori gorge, scene of previous clashes in the Abkhazian conflict zone.
The Russian peacekeepers were released shortly thereafter but the UN personnel – two military observers, a paramedic and a local interpreter – are still in the hands of the hostage-takers.
Georgian President?s envoy to Kodori gorge Emzar Kvitsiani said there was a 2,000 Lari (up to USD 1,000) reward for information about kidnapped UN observers? whereabouts.
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