ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 12, 2005 Tuesday 3:54 PM Eastern Time

Food from detained Turkish vessel to be sent to Abkhazia

By Eka Mekhuzla

TBILISI

Foods from the Turkish vessel, which has been detained for an attempt
to trespass the Abkhaz sector of the Georgian sea border, will be
donated to residents of Abkhazia, Georgian State Minister for
Separatist Conflicts Georgy Khaindrava said on Tuesday.

He said that the national laws stipulate the confiscation of food
from the detained vessel, but President Mikhail Saakashvili wants to
donate the foods to residents of Abkhazia.

Saakashvili said on July 10 that Turkish authorities understood the
actions of the Georgian border guards. The vessel, which was detained
on July 3, was taken to the port of Poti. The Poti port sentenced the
captain and eight passengers to three-months custody on July 7.

“The eight crewmembers were not detained or charged, as the captain
is responsible for the vessel,” representatives of the Georgian Coast
Guard said.

The vessel owners will have to pay a fine or the vessel will be sold
at an auction.

Georgian border guards have detained 40 vessels from Turkey, Ukraine,
Greece and other countries for breaching navigation rules and
trespassing the border in the past three years. The majority of
owners paid fines, but some vessels were sold at an auction.

Meanwhile, Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh told a Tuesday press
conference that Georgian border guards’ seizure of Turkish vessels
carrying food in neutral waters on July 2 and 3 “is sheer banditry.”

Tbilisi said the Turkish vessels did not respond to the Georgian
Coast Guard’s demand to stop.

“It is impossible to hold dialog this way,” Bagapsh said. “Georgia
was eager to make us quit [the Abkhaz settlement] negotiations, but
that did not happen.” Negotiations on the resumption of railroad
traffic through Abkhazia are underway on the basis of the 2003 Sochi
agreement, he said. The agreement stipulates the solution of economic
problems, including energy and railroads, and the return of refugees
to the Gali district of Abkhazia.

If Abkhazia quits the negotiations, the problems will not be solved,
Bagapsh said. Resumption of the railroad traffic through Abkhazia is
beneficial for Georgia, Armenia and southern Russia, he added.
Specialists will start evaluating the Abkhaz sector of the railroad
between Psou and Inguri, and Abkhazia will provide for their
security, he said.