All highway traffic in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone was stopped and South Ossetian villages under Georgian control were blockaded Friday for security reasons by order of the president of the unrecognized republic as Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone were put on alert.
"Responsibility for the situation in the conflict zone rests entirely with Eduard Kokoity [president of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia]. In this context, the international community and Russia should state their position more forcefully and prevent a further worsening of tensions," Zurab Nogaideli said.
He said the Georgian government is ready for dialogue with all political forces in the region to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Thursday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed the so-called "alternative president" of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia as head of the provisional administration in the region.
Sanakoyev, the winner of an "alternative" presidential election in South Ossetia, was inaugurated in the conflict zone last December.
South Ossetia held a presidential election, along with a referendum to reaffirm its independence, November 12. Georgia, which is seeking to regain control over the region, organized an alternative poll in local Georgian-populated villages on the same day.
Sanakoyev, a former prime minister of South Ossetia now regarded as a "defector" in the self-proclaimed republic, swore on South Ossetia's present Constitution, saying in two languages that he "would work to promote the interests of the Ossetian people and to ensure peace between Georgians and Ossetians."
The breakaway republic dismissed the "alternative" election as a "farce." The results of South Ossetia's election and plebiscite have not been recognized as legitimate, either by Georgia or by the West.
South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia following a bloody conflict that killed hundreds in 1991-1992. The pro-Western Georgian government of Mikheil Saakashvili has said it is determined to bring the breakaway region back under its control.
Although Tbilisi and Tskhinvali, the capitals of Georgia and South Ossetia, respectively, have maintained a truce, confrontations still occur in the region.
