08/30/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10098

RUSSIA BOMBS GEORGIAN VILLAGES

Russian military aircraft have indiscriminately bombed villages in northern Georgia, killing at least one civilian. The government of Georgia and monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have confirmed the attacks, which are a violation of Georgia’s sovereignty.

Russian warplanes struck close to the Pankisi Gorge, an area that is reported be a refuge for Islamic extremists with possible links to the al-Qaida terrorist organization. Chechen fighters are also thought to be living there among some four-thousand refugees who fled Chechnya after 1999. The Pankisi Gorge lies near Chechnya, where separatist guerrillas have been battling for independence from Russia for the past eight years. Russia has accused Georgia of not doing enough to clear the Pankisi Gorge of Islamic militants and Chechen fighters and suggested that Russian troops be allowed into the gorge.

Georgia has rejected this. President Eduard Shevardnadze said his government is already enforcing the law. "On my orders, the Interior Ministry forces and special forces of Georgia have entered the Pankisi Gorge," he said. "Our aim is to restore stability and clear it of any criminal elements which may remain."

As Georgian Interior Ministry troops have moved into the region, Georgian army troops have deployed near the Pankisi Gorge. Georgian Defense Minister David Tevadze said, "The army is not taking part in a police operation, but it is creating conditions for the police to do their job better."

Military attacks on Georgian territory by Russia will only increase tension between the two countries. Russia must respect the territorial integrity of Georgia. Russians and Georgians should coordinate with each other on the Pankisi problem, but deal with the problems of Chechen fighters and international terrorists on their own territories. And ultimately, there must be a political settlement to the conflict in Chechnya. Peace there will bring greater stability to both Georgia and Russia.