Russian army hand Gori to Georgian police, Abkhazia pushes Georgian troops out of Kodori Gorge

Russian army hand Gori to Georgian police

RT, August 14, 2008, 3:30

Russian peacekeepers are finishing their humanitarian mission in the Georgian city of Gori and are handing the city over to Georgian police.
The Russian units were stationed in the city to neutralise thousands of heavy weapons, which were abandoned by retreating Georgians.

Local authorities had fled the city, leaving citizens without food.

The Russian military says it's been organising aid for them and maintaining order on the ground to prevent the city from looting.

Russian troops will stay in the region for two more days until the Georgian authorities are capable of taking over.

”From tomorrow officially the Georgian police will start working to carry out it’s own functions to bring the situation under control. I called Tbilisi and asked them to put official here [in Gori]. I as a commander of armed forces gave a command that the army Russian will not enter the city anymore, that people can go back to their normal life,” Vyacheslav Borisov, Major-General of Russian army, said.

Abkhazia pushes Georgian troops out of Kodori Gorge

RT, August 14, 2008, 5:20

Abkhazia has declared August 14 as a day of mourning for the victims of the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia. Meanwhile, Abkhazia has pushed Georgian troops out of the disputed Kodori Gorge and gained full control over its territory.
The breakaway republic claims it completed the operation without Russia’s assistance.

But, its president says Russian peacekeepers must stay there to ensure that no more bloodshed will happen between Georgia and Abkhazia.

In the meantime, the bloodbath in South Ossetia has stirred a new longing for recognition of independence for Abkhazians.

The break away republics officials believe the independence of Kosovo earlier this year set a precedent. Along with the outcome of the conflict in South Ossetia it will be enough to provide a basis for a long awaited resolution of the country's status.

Abkhazia proclaimed independence from Tbilisi in the 90s, which led to a year-long war. The ensuing violent conflict claimed thousands of lives and forced people to flee their homes.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.