Hostage-Taking Crisis Fuels Tensions in South Ossetia

Deputy Special Affairs Minister of breakaway South Ossetia Makhar Gasiyev was abducted together with several other Ossetian civilians in the South Ossetian conflict zone by a group of unknown persons on January 22. The recent incident added fuel to tensions, which have flared-up after the South Ossetian side detained two Georgian policemen in the conflict zone on January 20.

Details of the recent hostage-taking are not known so far. Conflicting reports are coming about the number of abducted Ossetians. The Georgian media reported about 12 Ossetians being in hostage, while according to the Press and Information Committee of breakaway South Ossetia only four persons were detained, including Deputy Special Affairs Minister of unrecognized republic Makhar Gasiyev.

RIA Novosti news agency reported quoting spokesperson of the breakaway South Ossetian government Irina Gagloeva as saying, that ?Georgian policemen kidnapped? Makhar Gasiyev near the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali. Georgian officials made no comment yet.

Unconfirmed reports say relatives of Georgian policeman, who is still detained by the South Ossetian side, might be behind abduction of the South Ossetian official.

The Georgian and South Ossetian sides failed to negotiate over release of Lado Chalauri, who is the chief of the police in the Georgian village of Eredvi in the South Ossetian conflict zone.

He was detained by the South Ossetian side on January 20 together with another Georgian policeman Gocha Gvimradze. As a result of talks between the Georgian and South Ossetian sides, Gocha Gvimradze was released on January 20, however chief of Eredvi police Chalauri still remains under detention in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali.

South Ossetian side agrees to release Chalauri only in case the Georgian side hands over Oleg Pukhaev, an Ossetian who was arrested by the Georgian police on January 19. He is accused of killing two persons last February. But the Georgian officials rejected, as they put it, ?to exchange policeman into a criminal.?

In a statement issued by the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee, abduction of the Ossetian official and other civilians, is described as ?an attempt to trigger war? in the conflict zone.

The recent hostage-taking crisis in the breakaway region comes just few days ahead of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili?s planned address to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE). On January 26 Saakashvili intends to unveil Tbilisi?s proposals over peace settlement of the Abkhazia and South Ossetian conflicts at PACE session in Strasbourg.