Moskow's hand in destabilising Georgia

[Tugay-bey]

Saakashvili accuses Russian intelligence of arresting policemen




President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili said on Tuesday that he had evidence that Russian intelligence services had organized the detention of Georgian policemen on July 8.

“We have audio and video materials that the officials from Russian military intelligence are working in the Tskhinvali region (Tskhinvali is the capital of the restive republic of South Ossetia). And furthermore, we have evidence that the officials from Russian intelligence organized and performed the operation to detain about 40 Georgian policemen,” Saakashvili was quoted by the Gazeta.ru website as saying.

Later, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Vyacheslav Sedov quoted by Interfax news agency said that there were no Russian military intelligence officials in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. “The Georgian authorities’ assertions that Russian military intelligence people are operating in the conflict zone are unfounded and untrue,” he said. He added that, as required by the Joint Control Commission, only peacekeepers are based in the conflict zone. “No additional formations, to say nothing of military intelligence groups, have ever been sent to the region. Therefore, Russian military intelligence personnel could not participate in the seizure of about 40 Georgian policemen,” the agency quoted Sedov as saying.

The Georgian president said that he would not withdraw internal troops from South Ossetia. He added that he would not tolerate the “Abkhazian scenario, where peacekeepers said that Abkhazia was not Georgian territory”.

“If it is not allowed to hoist the Georgian flag on the territory of Tskhinvali region according to existing agreements signed by (former Georgian president Eduard) Shevardnadze, I am ready to denounce those agreements,” the website quoted Saakashvili as saying.

Georgian policemen were detained by South Ossetian troops on July 8 and released on the next day. Russian peacekeepers conveyed them back home. //MosNews

[hammer_trek_BBS]

Personally, I'd like to see more instability in that region so that Russia can swoop in and control the oil before America makes another land grab.

Meanwhile, the Yanks can have at it with the murderous idiots in Iran (Iranian Canadian murdered through state-sponsored operation and prime suspect acquitted) - had they done that instead of going at Iraq, they would've gotten more international support...

... WMDs in Iran: check (unlike Iraq)

... Harbouring terrorists (a couple of 9/11 folks as well as Afghan Hekmatyar): check (unlike Iraq)

... A more open-armed society that's willing to welcome Allied liberators: check

... No pissing off the rest of the Islamic world because Iran is Shia: check

[Balamut]

Turgay, are you against russian peasekeepers there or for?