Georgia has sent troops into the separatist South Ossetia region in what authorities described as an effort to combat smuggling. Interior Minister Georgy Baramidze says the move comes after the head of the peacekeeping unit in the region threatened to dismantle Georgian government checkpoints in South Ossetia. Mr. Baramidze says Georgian officials put the checkpoints in place to fight smuggling, and Georgian troops will use force if necessary to defend them. The Interfax news agency says the head of the international peacekeeping force in South Ossetia, Russian General Svyatoslav Nabzdorov, called the dispatch of troops a provocation. Reports say Georgia has sent hundreds of troops into South Ossetia. | Dispirited Russian peacekeepers versus re-trained, rejuvenated Georgan troops. Popcorn? |
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has pledged to have South Ossetia and another separatist region, Abkhazia, recognize central government authority. The leaders of the two breakaway areas rejected President Saakashvili's call last week to reunite with Georgia and begin talks on their future status. Peacekeepers have been in South Ossetia, which borders Russia, since clashes in the early 1990s forced Georgian troops from the area. The region considers itself independent and has voted to become a part of Russia. |