TSKHINVALI. March 3 (Interfax-AVN) - South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said on Monday Georgian statements on the transit of Chechen guerillas through his republic were "a legend of Georgian special services."
"South Ossetian authorities totally rule out the possibility of Chechen guerillas delivered in transit through the republic. This is a legend of Georgian special services. All such statements are attempts to lay the blame on somebody else," Kokoity told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"Due to the presence of guerillas in the Pankisi gorge the situation there is still so complicated that Ossetian residents who had to move to North and South Ossetia are afraid of returning to the area," the president noted.
Chairman of the Georgian State Border Guard Department Valery Chkheidze earlier told Interfax-AVN that "a part of Chechen guerillas and mujahedeen, several dozens of terrorists got into the Pankisi gorge through South Ossetia" thanks to privileges that Russia kept in force on the South Ossetian border section after the introduction of visa control with Georgia in 2000.
"There is irrefutable information on it," Chkheidze said.