BREAKAWAY REPUBLIC DENIES GEORGIAN BLAST INVOLVEMENT

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GORI, GEORGIA, February 1 (RIA Novosti) - A car blast took three or more lives in Gori, Georgia. The explosive device had a hundred kilograms of TNT in it, says Vano Merabishvili, Georgia's Minister for Police and Public Security Affairs.

The blast came close to territorial police premises of Shida Kartli, Georgia's area that borders on South Ossetia, unrecognized republic with Tskhinvali for capital.

The car owner has been tracked down, and detection is on for the man who took the fatal Zhiguli from him a few hours before the tragedy, the minister said to the media.

Detectives have made several assumptions. One bases on the town's closeness to the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone-Gori is a mere thirty kilometers off Tskhinvali, says Mr. Merabishvili.

Another country's secret services certainly masterminded the terror act, hold Georgian parliamentarians.

"It was a professional job. Georgians have no such devices and know-how," Konstantin Gabashvili, foreign affairs committee head, said to Novosti in a telephone interview.

The act was surely masterminded outside Georgia, says Vice-Speaker Mikhail Machavariani. "No Georgian gang could do the thing, I'm absolutely sure. The track leads to another country's secret services," he said to Novosti over the phone. "If anyone thinks we can't be serious as we talk about Georgian reunion, he is thoroughly wrong here," he stressed.

The Gori blast can be viewed as "response to our peace initiatives for Georgian-Ossetian settlement", said another of our interviewees, Georgy Bokeria. He is on the parliamentary group of the United National Movement-the party in office.

Response from the South Ossetian top is also known for now.

"Whatever attempt to use the terrorist outrage as tool to escalate Georgian-Ossetian strife will only build up tensions in the area. This attempt makes us indignant," said Oleg Alborov, South Ossetia's Security Council Secretary, as Novosti contacted him on the phone.

"South Ossetia resolutely denounces terrorism as a means to gain political ends. To cement all wholesome forces is the only way to repulse this global danger.

"South Ossetia has never recurred to terrorism, and is sparing no efforts to put an end to terrorist activities in the Caucasian region," pointed out Mr. Alborov.

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