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| Georgian State Minister Goga Khaindrava (left) and South Ossetian envoy Boris Chochiev (middle) at Moscow talks. Photo by Itar-Tass news agency. |
In the meantime, controversial information continues to pour from the conflict area, as sides accuse each other of escalation. Authorities in breakaway South Ossetia reported on July 15 that 200 Georgian internal troops entered into the self-styled republic near the Java district, which serves as a stronghold for South Ossetian militia groups. However, Georgian Interior Minister Irakli Okruashvili dismissed the report as “disinformation” and a “provocation.”
South Ossetian de facto authorities also reported that their police checkpoints came under fire last night, though no casualties were reported. The Georgian television stations reported that several mortar shells exploded near the Georgian village of Tamarasheni.
Meanwhile, the quadripartite JCC, which includes Georgian, South Ossetian, Russia and North Ossetian sides, tries to negotiate a final protocol, which is expected to defuse tensions in the region. But the breakthrough seems elusive after tense talks during the first day of consultations on July 14.
Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava told reporters on July 14 that Tbilisi demands to set up a joint checkpoint at the Roki Pass linking South Ossetia with Russia and to pull out “illegal armed groups” – meaning the volunteers from North Caucasus – from the Java district in the breakaway region.
The Russian and South Ossetian sides, meanwhile, insist on the withdrawal of Georgia’s extra troops from the conflict zone. Moscow claims around 3,000 Georgian troops are stationed in the region at the moment.
At a news briefing in London on July 14 Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has since returned to Georgia, called on the western powers to put pressure on Russia over breakaway South Ossetia.
“I do believe that some elements in Moscow are carrying out some aggressive plans; and not just plans but they are [also] carrying out aggressive actions. These are people who have not rid themselves of their imperial ambitions,” Reuters and AP quoted Mikheil Saakashvili as saying.
Russia says that it can not remain “indifferent towards the fate of its citizens, which comprise an absolute majority in South Ossetia.”
The United States is also watching the developments in South Ossetia closely. U.S. special representative for Eurasian conflicts Steven R. Mann, who is also a Senior Advisor for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy, arrived in Georgia on July 15.
“The United States has real concerns about developments in South Ossetia,” Ambassador Steven Mann told reporters before his meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on July 15.
The U.S. official also said that he will meet with Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador for special affairs Lev Mironov in Tbilisi. Ambassador Mironov was dispatched to Georgia after the recent tensions flared up in breakaway South Ossetia.