"We have always been appreciative of Russian peacekeepers' efforts in [the breakaway province of] South Ossetia," Mr Gamtsemlidze said at a press conference in Moscow Friday. "We are thankful to Russian peacekeepers for preventing casualties among South Ossetia's [civilian] population for many years. But any peacekeeping operation should have its logical end and yield practical results," he added.
The diplomat said Georgia had no objections as to the Joint Peacekeeping Force's present lineup. The force is comprised of a Russian, a Georgian and an Ossetian battalions, each 500 men strong.
According to Mr Gamtsemlidze, the central government of Georgia proposes resuming dialogue with Ossetian authorities without delay. It says it will pull all paramilitary groups out of the breakaway province on condition that the peacekeeping force stays behind.
The Georgian envoy accused Ossetian leaders of responding to Georgia's peaceful initiatives with provocative actions. Problems in the conflict zone emerge each time the Georgian side comes up with a peaceful solution, Gamtsemlidze pointed out. Georgia is after complete demilitarization, joint control of the territory, and a broader mandate for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he said.
The Georgian diplomat described as a "poorly orchestrated provocation" the reports about an incident earlier this week that had involved shooting at a delegation of Russian officials in South Ossetia. "There was no shooting on the part of Georgians," he claims.
A Russian parliamentary delegation came under fire Wednesday in the vicinity of the Ossetian village of Sarabuk, a dozen kilometers away from the capital, Tskhinvali. The delegation was ledby Andrei Kokoshin, in charge of the Committee for CIS Affairs and Diaspora in the State Duma, or parliament's lower house. In response, the Foreign Ministry issued a note of protest.
Without a proper investigation, one cannot assert it was Georgians who opened fire on the Russian delegation, Mr Gamtsemlidze pointed out. "We need time, investment and good-neighborly relations with Russia to be able to build a proper state," stressed the diplomat.
