TBILISI. Jan 27 (Interfax-AVN) - The Transcaucasian highway was unblocked in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone at about 11.00 a.m. Moscow time (0800 GMT) on Thursday after a nearly four-day blockade by Georgian residents.
"As a results of efforts made by representatives of the Unified Peacekeeping Headquarters and Georgian State Minister for Separatist Conflicts Giorgi Khaindrava and talks with the locals, we managed to unblock the highway that was tapped near the localities of Tamarasheni and Kurta," Major General Marat Kulakhmetov, commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces, told Interfax-Military News Agency by telephone from Tskhinvali.
He recalled that the highway was tapped as a protest against a series of hostage-takings.
The commander noted that a unified investigation team will start investigation into the activity of Tskhinvali resident Alexander Pukhayev on Thursday afternoon. Pukhayev was detained by Georgian law-enforcement bodies last week.
"In compliance with the accords by the co-chairmen of the Joint Control Commission dated January 25, Alexander Pukhayev is kept under guard at the Unified Peacekeeping Headquarters, and we guarantee his stay here for the entire period of investigation," Kulakhmetov said.
Georgian authorities accuse the detainee of double murder allegedly committed in February 2004.