TBILISI. Jan 16 (Interfax-AVN) - Georgia is against involving the Russian Railway Forces in restoring the railway in Abkhazia.
"I consider it unreasonable to adopt the proposal, made by Sukhumi, that the Russian Railway Forces should be involved in restoring the railway in Abkhazia, as it is high time the civil approach replaced the military one," Georgian Minister without Portfolio Malkhaz Kakabadze told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
He said that the Georgian authorities had officially offered Abkhazia to start negotiations on restoring the railway between Tbilisi and Sukhumi.
"We invited Abkhaz experts to come to Tbilisi and start negotiations on restoring the railway. The first stage of negotiations will envision restoring mutual trust and reliable relations," Kakabadze said.
He noted that the second stage, which might be started very quickly, should consist in the joint survey of the railway.
According to Kakabadze, the railway may be restored simultaneously with returning refugees to corresponding Abkhaz areas.
In the meantime, Leonid Kurua, head of the Abkhaz Railway enterprise, said that the Abkhaz authorities had submitted a proposal on involving the Russian Railway Forces in restoring the railway to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to him, it will cost US80m-90m to completely restore the 190-km long railway span, damaged during the Georgian- Abkhaz armed conflict of 1992-1993.
"According to experts, it will take four to six months to restore the railway even if the Russian Railway Forces participate in this work, while it will take Abkhaz and Georgian civil contractors considerably longer to discharge the same task," Kurua said.