S.OSSETIA ASKS FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION IN GEORGIA CONFLICT
RIA Novosti
22:13 | 08/ 07/ 2008
Authorities in South Ossetia, a breakaway Georgian region, said in
a letter to the OSCE made public on Tuesday that the international
community must not stand by and allow the regional conflict to
escalate.
The rebel province, where tensions have been escalating since
a shootout last week, has accused Georgia of planning an all-out
military invasion, and says Tbilisi has been boosting its military
presence on the border in recent days.
Four Georgian military officers were released Tuesday after being
detained earlier in the day in the conflict zone. South Ossetia
accused them of being on a reconnaissance mission while Georgia said
they were returning from visiting friends.
The breakaway republic’s foreign minister, Murat Dzioyev, wrote in
a letter to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
that responsibility for any bloodshed "will be shared by the leaders
of the current Tbilisi regime, its patrons, and international forces
that could have put pressure on Georgia and prevented a military
scenario developing, but failed to do so."
The international community must have objective information on the
situation in the conflict zone and resume talks with Georgia to avoid
"catastrophic consequences" for the provincial capital, Tskhinvali,
and the surrounding area, the minister said.
The minister stressed that South Ossetia is seeking an "exclusively
peaceful route" to resolving differences, and is ready for civilized
dialogue with Georgia.