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Georgia Says Russia Massing Troops in South Ossetia

By VOA News

23 October 2008

Georgia says Russia has deployed 2,000 additional troops in the pro-Russian breakaway region of South Ossetia, a move Russia denies.

If the Georgian claim is true, the build-up would violate a cease-fire deal that ended a five-day military conflict in August.

The Georgian Interior Ministry voiced fear over the alleged buildup and said Thursday Russia appears to be "preparing provocations" in South Ossetia. A spokesman, Shota Utiashvili, says there are now seven-thousand Russian troops in South Ossetia alone.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov countered with accusations that European monitors in Georgia are ignoring Georgian troop movements near South Ossetia and another breakaway territory, Abkhazia.

Meanwhile Abkazian authorities blamed Georgia for the killing of one of the area's senior intelligence officials, Eduard Emin-Zade.

Russian troops swept into Georgia in August, after Georgian forces tried to regain control of South Ossetia by force.

Moscow has since recognized the territory and Abkhazia as independent states.

Earlier this week, the United States accused Moscow of failing to comply with a European-brokered cease-fire signed last month. That agreement requires Russian forces to withdraw to positions held before the outbreak of hostilities.

In Brussels Wednesday, international donors pledged more than four-point-five billion dollars to help Georgia recover from the conflict.

The United States pledged one billion dollars over three years. The European Union Japan, the International Monetary Fund and private donors also made substantial promises, with $640 million from the EU, $200 million from Japan, and $750 million from the IMF.

Separately, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it plans to grant Georgia $975 million in loans over the next two years.

Georgian opposition groups, critical of President Mikheil Saakashvili's performance in the run-up to the conflict, appealed to conferees to aim the funding directly at displaced refugees and reconstruction, rather than allow it to strengthen the Tbilisi government.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.