Tbilisi Increases its Peacekeeping Presence in South Ossetia

On August 24 Georgia began to implement its full complement of peacekeeping forces in the South Ossetian conflict zone, according to the press office of State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues.

As a result the Georgian peacekeeping battalion will increase from the current 312 to 412.

?This is not a mobilization of additional troops in the conflict zone, or setting up of additional checkpoints there; the Georgian side is just complementing its peacekeeping quota,? an official from the State Minister?s office told Civil Georgia.

Each side in the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) ? Georgia, Russia and Ossetia ? is authorized to deploy a maximum 500 servicemen in the conflict zone as part of the JPKF, which is under the Russian side?s command.

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