TBILISI, August 24 (AVN) - Georgian authorities are extremely concerned over the possibility of the republic's involvement in the Chechen conflict, a high-ranking official of the Georgian government told the Military News Agency on Friday.
According to him, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze held a meeting behind closed doors on Friday and called the leaders of law-enforcement agencies to immediately clear up the situation in the areas close to the Abkhazian border. The law-enforcers still did not provide the republic's leadership with trustworthy data on the alleged relocation of an armed Chechen group comprising 300 to 800 people from the Pankisi gorge to Kodori gorge. The majority of Georgian leaders, including Shevardnadze, consider it purposeless to start combat operations even if the information on the group's relocation is confirmed. The official Tbilisi would like to calm down tensions on the territory by peaceful actions and rule out possible armed provocation in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone and on the Georgia-Russia border.
According to the Georgian mass media, Malkhaz Kakabadze, the Foreign Ministry's envoy on special missions and former ambassador to Russia, went to Sukhumi. He met Major General Anis Ahmed Bajwa, chief UN military observer in Georgia, and Abkhazian Prime Minister Anri Dzhargenia. Meanwhile, an emergency session took place in the Zugdidi district police headquarters and involved Shevardnadze's envoys to Mergelia and Kodori gorge Bondo Dzhikij and Emzar Kvitsiani. Interior Ministry troops commander Major General Georgy Shervashidze was also present.
The Abkhazian leadership has made a decision on recruiting reservists. Russian peacekeeping units in the conflict zone are put on high alert as well.