Mamuka Kurashvili, commander of Georgian peace forces, is ready to die in the battle with separatists. Georgian general confirms his words with action because he responded with 100 mm. grenades to Ossetian side, which had fired 82 mm. grenades. Anyway, in general the problem is not resolved. Finally, the sides agreed that they need two-party negotiation. Georgian and Russian sides confirm that the opposing parties will negotiate at the round table on August 7.Unlike Georgian genera, Marat Kulakhmetov, Russian peace-keeper, publishes official report. The report reveals the shoots of August 1 and 2. Kulakhmetov states that Georgian side had not provided him with detailed information about injured people. Until we discuss the ‘lexica” of Mamuka Kurashvili, let us initially discuss the report of his Russian colleague, Kulakhmetov.
Extract from Kulakhmetov’s report: “We would like to inform you that On August 2-3 2008 three-party groups of military observers and OSCE mission representatives carried out monitoring of the incidents of August 1-2 when the conflict parties breached the agreement on cease-fire. As a result of the monitoring we have discovered the prints of grenades of various calibers on the walls of the houses in the village of Zemo Nikozi. The roofs are damaged supposedly as a result of the grenade-shooting. At police watch-posts we discovered the holes of grenades with the caliber of 82 mm. We found bullet and grenade lodges on the buildings and houses in the village of Kvemo Nikozi. Georgian side reported that eight people were wounded as a result of grenade explosion. In the villages of Nuli, Eredvi and Zemo Frisi observers discovered the houses damaged by the grenades of 82 mm caliber. Russian peace-keeping unit destroyed valid grenades on the place. Georgian side did not report about the damaged people. Military observers of the Mixed Control Commission observed lodges of the grenades of 120 and 100 mm calibers shot in the direction of the post of Georgian peace-keeping units “Sarabuki.” Commanders of the Mixed Control Commission draws your attention to the fact that at nights of August 1 and 2 the parties used weapon which fired grenades with the caliber more than 100 mm. Based on the recent agreement the parties did not have right to use such weapon. Escalation of the tense situation in conflict zone will lead to unreasonable loss of both sides. Suspension of negotiations will result into the confrontation between the sides. Current situation exposes once more that the meeting of co-chairpersons of the Mixed Control Commissions is necessary to draw up action plan to reduce the tension and renew the process of dialogue.
Respectfully, Major-General Marat Kulakhmetov, Commander of the Mixed Peace-keeping Forces in South Ossetian conflict zone.
Georgian soldiers suggest people to leave their houses in Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Locals state that soldiers knew in advance that the village would be bombed at night. Children and women are leaving Nikozi village. The fire-guns are heard mostly at night in the conflict zone.
Nobody is surprised to see heavy military technique moving across Gori district. Residents of the territory near Gori Tank and Engineer Units have got used to the noise of moving tanks. People can share their sorry with each other only. The life in the city has become unbearable. In addition to that Gori streets have become central high-way between Western and Eastern Georgia after the bridge pulled down on the central motor-way.
Four years have passed since the last tension in Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Since that time many people who actively participated in the confrontation have now abandoned military political arena. For example, Okruashvili, former Georgian Defense Minister and his soldiers do not threat Kokoiti’s separatist government from Tsveriakho Mountain. However, Mamuka Kurashvili, the commander of the Georgian Peace-keeping Unit sends threats after threats to Ossetian side… “I will die in the battle with them… degenerates… stupid…etc.” Former defense minister, Okruashvili used these phrases in 2004 in his appeals to Separatist government.
It is still obscure what happened in 2004 when Georgian side lost 16 soldiers. Georigan side claimed nobody had died in the hostilities in that period too but we personally saw dead Georgian soldiers covered with sheets at Gori hospital.
Now again, like it happened in 2004 before escalation, Georgian news sources got active. Central TV Companies start news programs with the information from conflict zone. This tendency started before the parliamentary elections and the culmination was May 21, the election day when an accident happened in Khurcha. International society still doubts about the statements of Georgian side as if Abkhaz separatists exploded buses in Khurcha. However, Georgian side has not provided any proofs to cancel doubts.
Events in 2004 started with one scandalous item broadcasted by one of the TV Companies. According to the delivered information Ossetian students had fled from Tskhinvali University because they had founded Ossetian organization “Fagu.” As later was found out, these girls were residents of the village of Tirdznisi in Gori district and they were students of IDP University currently located in Gori. These girls were Mari Ivelashvili and Lela Buchukuri. These girls confirmed this information in their interview with the Human Rights Center and stated that the news item was recorded in the yard of one of the houses in Tirdznisi. That time Shida Kartli regional governor, Mikheil Kareli was standing besides them and he was dictating them what to say in the interview.
As soon as Georgian villages are bombed local governmental officials arrive there with construction materials and food products. Unlike the events four years ago “humanitarian storm” was bigger. Today, military divisions are mostly damaged. In 2004 Georgian villages were more bombed than now but even now more intensive bombing is not excluded.
Residents of the village of Nikozi state in their conversation with us that soldiers dislocated in their village advice them to leave houses. “They have just told us again to leave the village. The village will be bombed this night too. If they had warned a bit earlier we could leave; but now it is late and where should we go? But anyway we will go to the peaceful place,” said people several days ago.
Temur Iakobashvili, State Minister for Reintegration, speaks about the details of the negotiations with Tskhinvali side when another official of the Georgian side –Mamuka Kurashvili focuses on his muscles and weapon.
Similar events happened in 2004. Goga Khaindrava, former State Minister for Conflict Resolution, visited Tskhinvali almost every day to negotiate. As soon as he left Tskhinvali each time they heard about new explosions.
Before recent tension Dimitri Sanakoev, the head of South Ossetian Administration, was nearly exploded on roundabout. Sanakoev’s car escaped the scene of explosion at several minutes otherwise as military high-officials assess he must have been murdered. Georgian side reacted on the accident immediately and stated that Sanakoev’s government got on nerves of Kokoiti.
In fact, Sanakoev’s administration does not that much threat Kokoiti’s regime than Georgian peace-keeping unit deployed on Ergneti post and its commander. Experts assess that Sanakoev is more diplomatic in his assessments of the situation than Georgian side.
Similar to it, opened fire at the escort of Zurab Zhvania, late Georgian Prime-Minister in 2004 was very strange for may people because the late prime-minister was the most acceptable person for Kokoiti administration in the process of negotiations. Zhvania had never had problems to enter Tskhinvali at all.
