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Georgian conflict resolution minister accuses defense minister

RIA Novosti

21/07/2006 15:21

TBILISI, July 21 (RIA Novosti) -- Georgia's outgoing state minister for conflict resolution accused Friday the country's defense minister of taking action that was counterproductive for conflict settlement.

Giorgi Khaindrava, who it was announced earlier on Friday would officially be dismissed from his post, laid into Irakli Orkuashvili for what he said were irresponsible comments relating to the capital of breakaway region South Ossetia.

"I consider Okruashvili's statement that we will see in the year 2007, January 1, in Tskhinvali as posturing," he said and added comments made by the minister on television Thursday night were unacceptable.

And the ex-minister reacted angrily to televised comments made by Orkuashvili that he should "pack up his bags and leave" if he did not like the Defense Ministry's handling of Russian diplomats trying to enter South Ossetia. A car was stopped on two consecutive days late last week on Okruashvili's orders, which Khaindrava said was a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic immunity.

"I believe it absolutely unacceptable that a minister could take such a tone on television," Khaindrava said. "In my work, I have never deviated from the official course; on the contrary, all of my actions were in line with the Georgian president's guidelines. In fact, it is Georgia's Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili who is taking a wrong path."

Continuing a vociferous attack on his erstwhile government colleague, Khaindrava said, "Unlike Okruashvili, I did not bring my bags when I joined the Georgian government. Nor do I have anything to put into them now that I have learned about my dismissal. As to who will be packing up his bags, we will see after January 1, 2007," Khaindrava said.

"In contrast to Irakli Okruashvili, I and officers at my agency have often traveled to the conflict zone - both to the Tskhinvali district and to Russia. If this principle is broken, all of our lives will be jeopardized, which is absolutely unacceptable," said Khaindrava, who was responsible for the problems of refugees as a cochairman of the Joint Control Commission for the resolution of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.

He said his tough statements on a number of domestic issues, including the situation with refugees in Adjaria, a Georgian autonomy recently returned to the fold of Tbilisi, and the detention of a Russian diplomatic car on the Georgian-South Ossetian border could have been among the reasons for his dismissal.

The July 14 incident and an almost carbon copy the next day sparked a furious attack from Yury Popov, Russia's ambassador at large and co-chairman of the JCC. He labeled the incident a "gross two-day provocation designed to disrupt the peace process."