ABKHAZIA WORKS TO PRESENT GEORGIA HAVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2006 21:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 31 referring to the Administration of the
separatist regime of Abkhazia (Western Georgia) the Agency of National
News Russian Internet edition published sensational information that
Georgian troops had planned to deliver nuclear strikes upon villages
(Merkula, Atara, Jgerda) and troops holding the line in the “eastern
front” of “the Republic of Abkhazia” in 1992, Gruzia-Online reports.

The Abkhaz party holds that “when seizing the headquarters of the 24th
brigade, its operative documents were taken as captured material” and
these prove the Georgian party was going to deliver “a mass nuclear
strike upon 34 targets” on December 26, 1992, but changed its mind
for some reason. Probably, Georgian commanders, who “worked out and
approved” this “plan” understood that not only Abkhaz troops may
be affected.

“If we cast aside irony and look at it seriously, two sides of the
occurrence can be seen. Firstly, trying to prove their devotion to
Russia, Abkhaz authorities de facto make efforts to present Georgia as
a country, which has nuclear weapons of small capacity. However, they
put Russia in an awkward position without noticing it. The material
spread indicates that “nuclear ammunition was taken from depots of
the former Transcaucasian Military District, when these were robbed
by Georgian troops.” The person, who composed this absurd, apparently
is not aware that nuclear ammunition depots are intensively guarded.

Robbing those depots would have caused an international scandal even
at that time or maybe direct armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Thus, the fact itself reveals the author of the document in lying,”
Gruzia-Online writes.

Meanwhile, according to the Caucasian Knot, Georgia flatly denied
the reports. Expert on Military Affairs, editor-in-chief of Arsenal
Irakly Aladashvili analytic magazine called it “absurd.” “In soviet
times there were tactical nuclear weapons in Georgia, but it was
withdrawn in May 1989 by the Russian party,” Aladashvili said. In his
words, near Tbilisi “nuclear warheads were kept at Kopitnari military
aerodrome, but the ammunition was intensely guarded by special troops
of the Soviet Army and was withdrawn in May 1989.”

At that the expert indicated that measures to guard the objects with
nuclear weapons were so serious that “one cannot even imagine that
something could even be done with weapons kept there.” “Besides,
to make those weapons effective, special equipment was necessary and
the Georgian party did not have it,” he said.