Abkhaz Side Fears of Incursion
Defense Minister of Georgia?s breakaway Abkhazia Viacheslav Eshba says that Georgian side masterminds ?destabilization? in Gali district of Abkhazia, which is predominantly populated by the ethnic Georgians.
?Georgian special purpose troops plan to undermine the situation in the Gali district. Weapons, ammunition, national flags of Georgia and posters of the Georgian President [Mikheil Saakashvili] of are brought into the coastal villages of the Gali district,? Abkhaz news agency Apsnipress reports quoting Viacheslav Eshba.
In a letter sent to the UN Chief Military Observer Maj. Gen. Kazi Ashfaq Ahmed, de facto Abkhaz Defense Minister says that ?the Georgian secret services? intend to trigger escalations ?under the pretext of mass revolt and mass disobedience campaign? in the Gali district.
?Then incursion of the Georgian armed forces and illegal armed groups in Gali is planned, that will result in breaking away of Gali from the rest of Abkhazia,? Viacheslav Eshba added.
He also requested the UN Chief Military Observer Maj. Gen. Kazi Ashfaq Ahmed to closely observe situation in Kodori gorge, which is the only territory of breakaway Abkhazia under the Tbilisi?s control.
?Instead of withdrawal of its troops from Kodori, as agreed between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides in 2002, the Georgian side plans to bring special purpose troops into the Kodori gorge under the pretext of the anti-terrorist operation,? Apsnypress news agency reports quoting Vyacheslav Eshba.
Abkhaz side fears that Tbilisi might use strategic Kodori gorge as a powerbase for a military attack on Sukhumi, Abkhazian capital.
The de facto Abkhaz minister called on the chief UN Military Observer to brief the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Georgia over the fears of the Abkhaz side and render assistance in stabilization of the situation in the region.
