Saakashvili Comments on Developments in South Ossetia

President Mikheil Saakashvili told the reporters on September 21 that recent developments in the South Ossetian conflict zone, including celebrations of unrecognized republic?s independence and a mortar attack on Tskhinvali, ?challenged all the agreements [on peace settlement] and the Georgian state.?

?There were lots of citizens without entry visas [in Tskhinvali participating in the celebrations], which is a violation of the Georgian law and we will have an appropriate reaction on this,? Saakashvili said.

?Each citizen living in South Ossetia is a citizen of Georgia. Protection of their security is an issue of my personal honor. We are ready to involve the OSCE in order to investigate any kind of incident. The Georgian authorities are ready to investigate everything to the end,? Saakashvili said, apparently referring to the mortar attack incident, which caused injury of ten civilians in Tskhinvali.

?Those people ? both abroad, in our neighborhood and on the ground [in South Ossetia] ? who have been refusing for past months to even hold a meeting [between the conflicting sides] – are responsible for the fact that provocations and incidents are taking place there,? Saakashvili added.

He also said that ?Russia manages the situation? in South Ossetia. ?People dispatched by Russia are on the official positions there,? he said.

?It is not the Georgian-Ossetian problem, it is Georgian-Russian issue? I still hope that a constructive dialogue will be possible with Russia,? Saakashvili added.

?I pin my hopes on a new dialogue, in which the United States is also ready to be involved,? Saakashvili said.

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