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Russia and Georgia still disagree on South Ossetia
RBC, 08.07.2004, Tbilisi 09:40:15.South Ossetia will view any units of the Georgian armed forces that do not belong to the peacekeeping force as a band, a statement by Eduard Kokoita, the leader of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, reads. "The peacekeepers should take measures to neutralize them and to prevent them from entering the area of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict," he pointed out. "The irresponsible actions of the government and law enforcement agencies of Georgia show that Georgia does not care about the fate of the population of Georgian villages in South Ossetia, and it has made these people hostages to its criminal policies," the South Ossetian leader stated. Russian peacekeepers have set additional outposts in the area of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. This move was made in response to the seizure of two Russian military vehicles by Georgian special forces, Channel One reported. On July 7, officers of the Georgian State Security and Interior Ministries seized two trucks with ammunition for Russian peacekeepers deployed in the area of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. This action of the Georgian government is clearly intended to start "a spiral of violence," and it may lead to armed clashes in South Ossetia, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Yakovenko declared. According to him, the unprecedented raid of Georgian forces in South Ossetia shows that despite public peaceful declarations, the Georgian government has chosen to use force in this situation. These actions by the Georgian government discredit the joint peacekeeping force and undermine the existing political settlement process, the spokesman added.
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