Kokoev Visits North Ossetia, Amid Hostage-Taking Crisis

President of Georgia?s breakaway South Ossetia Eduard Kokoev left for neighboring Russia?s North Ossetian Republic on September 1 after the gunmen stormed school building in the North Ossetian town of Beslan taking around 120 hostages, mainly the pupil.

?He [Eduard Kokoev] left [for North Ossetia] to express our readiness to help the North Ossetian people in the time of trouble,? Irina Gagloeva, a spokesperson of breakaway South Ossetian government was quoting by RIA Novosti as saying.

Russian news agencies reported that an armed group, which threatens to blow up the school building, demands release of those militants who were arrested by the law enforcers in neighboring Ingushetia in June during a rebel raid on the region.