TBILISI. Oct 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Georgian officials said on Monday that national media reports about the movement of additional Russian troops to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone were misinformation.
"No extra troops have been sent to the conflict zone on the part of Russia. On the contrary, the number of guard posts within the Russia-manned CIS peacekeeping forces has been reduced from 31 to 28," Colonel Klimenty Tevzadze, Georgian peacekeeping forces commander, told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces manned by Russian soldiers have been in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone since 1994. The mandate for the peacekeepers is to be prolonged once in six months by the Council of CIS Heads of State. In late June, Russia submitted to the CIS Executive Council a draft resolution of the Council of CIS Heads of State for longer peacekeeping operation and extending peacekeepers' presence in the conflict zone till December 31, 2002.
Tevzadze also failed to confirm reports alleging that Abkhazia is moving troops towards the Georgia-controlled upper area of the Kodori gorge. He said "we do get such reports but they need to be checked up closely, which could only be done by UN military observers and Georgia's security services."
Nevertheless, a source at the UN mission told Interfax-AVN on October 17 that a joint patrol, which had been monitoring the Kodori gorge for three days, "didn't notice any military moves at the Abkhazia-controlled lower part of the Kodori gorge."