TBILISI. Feb 18 (Interfax-AVN) - President Eduard Shevardnadze has expressed surprise over statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Paris on February 15, in which he did not rule out that international terrorist Osama bin Laden may be hiding in the Pankisi Gorge.
The Georgian president, at a news conference on Monday, offered an ironic explanation for Ivanov's position, saying that the Russian minister originated from the Akhmeta district, where his mother's house is still located. Shevardnadze said that bin Laden is possibly hiding "exactly in this house, and this should be checked," although the house also belongs to the Russian foreign minister.
Shevardnadze said that long before Ivanov made this statement, Georgia took appropriate steps in the Pankisi Gorge. He recalled that checkpoints manned by Interior Ministry troops were set up in the area.
"Georgia is not considering carrying out a joint military operation with Russia in the Pankisi Gorge, as this is unacceptable," Shevardnadze said.
The president said that although the country "does not have a strong military potential," it has enough forces to bring order on its territory. Shevardnadze expressed his readiness to conduct a dialogue with the U.S. special forces should this prove necessary. This problem is not regularly discussed with U.S. colleagues, the Georgian president said, commenting on recent remarks by U.S. Acting Ambassador in Georgia Philip Remler on the possible presence of Afghan separatists in the Pankisi Gorge.