Tbilisi, Tskhinvali Exchange Accusations over Shootout

Three South Ossetian militiamen were injured after their post on the southern outskirts of Tskhinvali came under fire from the nearby Georgian village of Nikozi overnight on January 28, the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee reported.

The attack, which was carried out by ?the Georgian Defense Ministry?s saboteur squad? with mortar launchers and assault rifles, broke out at about 4:30 am Tbilisi time, according to the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee.

Local residents of Nikozi who were interviewed by the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) early on January 28 confirmed that ?heavy weapons? were used in the shootout.

GPB said that commander of the Georgian peacekeeping battalion in the conflict zone Mamuka Kurashvili confirmed that the incident took place, but added that the Georgian side had nothing to do with it.

South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity called on the Georgia side on January 28 ?to say no to provocative actions and resume negotiations,? the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee reported.

?Kokoity?s regime is trying to blame the Georgian side. We call on Kokoity to stop these groundless accusations and start discussions of peaceful initiatives in a bilateral format,? Merab Antadze, the Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues, said on January 29.

Tbilisi has recently been pushing to scrap the Joint Control Commission, the current Russian-led quadripartite negotiating format that involves negotiators from the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and Russia?s North Ossetian sides.

In the effort to create a new forum for negotiating, the Georgian side has been refusing to take part in JCC sessions. Merab Antadze says, however, that he is ready to participate in an informal ?information session? of the JCC either in Tbilisi or Tskhinvali.

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