TBILISI. Feb 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Revival and Unified Georgia factions which are forming part of the Batumi Alliance opposition party have proposed parliamentary hearings on the situation in the Pankisi gorge that should involve leaders of Georgian special services.
"The need to hold such hearings became obvious after Russian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin claimed that the Pankisi gorge hosts not only Chechen rebels but foreign mercenaries as well," Georgy Targamadze, a leader of the party and chairman of the Unified Georgia faction, told Interfax- Military News Agency on Thursday.
There is no reason to discard the statement because "Philip Remler, acting U.S. ambassador to Georgia, said the same several days before," Targamadze said. Remler announced that Afghan rebels of the Taliban movement could appear in the Pankisi gorge, Targamadze said.
According to Targamadze, "under the circumstances of the war in Chechnya Georgia is to settle two specific issues: do not let Russia use the air space and military bases in Georgia to carry out combat operations in Chechnya and do not let Chechen rebels combating Russian regular army have their bases in the territory of this country."
"The second problem has not been solved by the Georgian authorities so far," the faction chairman said.
"Members of our factions are concerned that officials of the Georgian leadership said, in particular, that Kvashnin's statement was a new provocation while the situation in the Pankisi region is really dangerous," Targamadze added. "Taking into account statements of Russian and American officials the Georgian authorities must realize the seriousness of the situation," he stressed.