POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF GEORGIAN COMMANDOS IN S-OSSETIA IMPERMISSIBLE – LAVROV

Interfax
Sept 16 2008
Russia

The possible presence of Georgian commandos in South Ossetia’s Leningor
district would be a provocative act, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov told a Monday press conference in Tskhinvali.

"That could be another provocative act, because the Leningor
district is populated not only by Ossetians but also by Georgians and
Armenians. They have lived together forever. Like the South Ossetian
president has said, it is a key goal to prevent ethnically motivated
provocative acts," he said.

"Time has come to calm down emotions. If someone tries to organize a
provocation in the area of joint residence of various ethnic groups,
the attempt must be stopped immediately. We have information about
possible provocations of the kind in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. We
have heard that several hundred convicts were set free from Georgian
prisons for organizing such provocations and terrorist acts," he said.

"We need vigilance. That is one of the reasons why we insist on
the soonest deployment of OSCE and EU missions, which would prevent
not only provocative acts but also the very idea of provocations,"
Lavrov said.

"The problem of illegal armed units in South Ossetia – any Georgian
servicemen – must have a simple solution by those who ensure security
inside the republic [South Ossetia]. That is being done by South
Ossetian security forces and Russian servicemen," he said.