[A-List] Georgia: 1, 000 US-Trained Special Forces, 2, 000 Troops, Tanks On Adjar Border

[Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@xxxxxxxxx>]

1) Adjaria Expects Immiment Georgian Attack, Says
3,000 Troops, Tanks Poised On Border
2) Adjarian Troops Placed On Full Combat Alert
3) Adjaria Seals Borders In Prepration For Georgian
Invasion
4) Adjar Transportation Routes Blocked In Anticipation
Of Georgian Incursions
5) Guns Mounted On Buildings In Adjarian Capital,
Police Hand Out Weapons
6) Butumi Mines Bridge Leading Into Georgia
7) Abkhaz Official Warns Of Georgian Civil War



1)
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/2004/03/15/66019.html

Rosbalt News (Russia)
March 15, 2004


Adjaria Expects Imminent Attack, Reports Georgian
Buildup Near Poti


TBILISI, March 15. Home-guard Adjarian forces at the
Choloki border point are expecting attack momentarily,
Jamal Gogitidze, minister of internal affairs of the
Adjarian Autonomous Republic, has told journalists.
'We will answer force with force and good will with
good will, negotiations with negotiations,' he
declared.

A Rosbalt correspondent reported that Adjarian
observers at the scene were reporting a concentration
in the Poti area of approximately 12 T-52 tanks,
approximately a 1,000 American-trained special forces
and about 2,000 other troops on the Georgian side.
Gogitidze said troops from Russia's Military Base 12,
whose activity is governed by intergovernmental
agreements, were not involved in the events.

Mikhail Saakashvili must not attempt to settle the
Adjarian problem by force, the minister said. This may
be difficult from a public relations standpoint,
Gogitidze said, but Saakashvili must back away from
his plan.

'Saakashvili himself ought to be executed,' Gogitidze
said in commenting on reports that the Georgian leader
had said Gogitidze should be executed. 'Saakashvili
and Shevardnadze both have done enough bad to deserve
a place somewhere in Siberia,' he said.

Meanwhile, the road between Kobuleti and the Choloki
border point is lined with hundreds of cars and vans
loaded with supporters of Aslan Abashidze. Estimates
are that several thousand armed home guard and unarmed
civilians are now concentrated on the the Adjarian
side of the border.
-------------------------------------------------------
2)
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=548175&PageNum=0

Itar-Tass (Russia)
March 15, 2004

Adzharian troops put on full combat alert ? minister


-?About 1,000 peaceful citizens came to the borders of
the republic to become a ?human shield? and rebuff
possible attacks.?



MOSCOW, March 15 (Itar-Tass) - Adzharia?s troops have
been put on ?full combat readiness,? Adzharian
Interior Minister Dzhemal Gogitigidze told Itar-Tass
by telephone on Monday.

An ultimatum that Georgia issued to Adzharia expired
at 10:30 p.m. Moscow time (1930 GMT).

Gogitigidze said the autonomy ?has all necessary
things for defence.? ?Now a certain number of troops
is now deploying on the border with Adzharia. If it
necessary, Adzharia?s Air Force will be mobilised,?
the minister stressed.

He noted, ?About 1,000 peaceful citizens came to the
borders of the republic to become a ?human shield? and
rebuff possible attacks.?

Earlier, Adzharian authorities imposed a curfew and
declared a state of emergency.
-------------------------------------------------------
3)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4055936&startrow=1&date=2004-03-15&do_alert=0


Russian Information Agency (Novosti)
March 15, 2004


GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S MEN TO BREAK THROUGH TO ADZHARIA?
INTERIOR MINISTER DOESN'T SAY NO


BATUMI, March 15, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - Partisans of
Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili may make a
violent invasion of Adzharia. Jamal Goghitidze,
Interior Minister of the recalcitrant autonomy, does
not rule out the danger.

"We do expect it - the people are up to anything," he
said while addressing a Russian media gathering on the
Adzharian administrative border today.

"Saakashvili's men are at a loss and blushing. They
are anxious to get out of their predicament but, as
far as we know, they are mustering forces, at the same
time." The minister vouched to do all he could to
retain Adzharian stability. "We want to avoid clashes.
We shall respond to goodwill by goodwill, and to
violence by violence. We are strong enough to pay in
kind - we are ready to face forced air and sea
landings alike." Armed Adzhars have blocked all
possible routes by which the republic might be
penetrated: "We've locked all roads. One's welcome to
come unarmed and on foot, and we greet guests of
goodwill - but we stopped men who came in tanks. What
does a president want with a tank in his own country?"
Mr. Goghitidze evaluates an armed force in President
Saakashvili's disposal at an approximate three
thousand - a commando battalion, whose personnel
approaches 1,500, rangers from several parts of
Georgia, and Interior soldiers plus twelve T 52 tanks
and several APCs.

"We are defending our land and protecting our
families. That's what makes us stronger," stressed the
minister.
-------------------------------------------------------
4)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4056064&startrow=1&date=2004-03-15&do_alert=0


Russian Information Agency  (Novosti)
March 15, 2004


ADZHARIA STRIPS RAIL, BLOCKS HIGHWAYS: GEORGIA'S
INTERIOR MINISTER


POTI, March 15, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - "Adzharia is
completely militarised," warns Georgi Baramidze,
Georgia's Interior Minister.

A Tbilisi-Batumi railway, which links the Georgian
capital with that of the rebellious autonomy, has been
dismantled to stop all passenger travel and freight
deliveries. Principal highways are blocked and
barricaded, the minister said to a news conference in
Poti, in Georgia's west. The conference immediately
followed a Georgian government session in the same
town, which discussed the Georgian-Adzhar crisis.
------------------------------------------------------
5)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4055577&startrow=21&date=2004-03-15&do_alert=0


Russian Information Agency (Novosti)
March 15, 2004



BATUMI CITIZENS START LEAVING, REPORTS RUSTAVI 2


TBILISI, March 15, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - Citizens of
Batumi (the capital of Adzharia, an autonomous
republic in Georgia) are fleeing the city, the Rustavi
2 TV channel reported on Monday People are crossing
the automobile bridge across the Choloki River
(Adzharia's administrative border) and moving towards
the adjoining Potiysky district, West Georgia.

"We are going where it is peaceful and calm. There is
no peace here," some refugees told journalists at the
administrative border.

On March 15th machine guns appeared on the roofs of
buildings in Batumi. Several of them were located on
the roof of the Meskheti hotel, Rustavi 2 reports.

According to the TV channel, the Batumi road police
department is handing out guns to people.

The checkpoint at the Choloki is guarded by task
forces of Adzharia's law-enforcement structures
numbering about 400 people and a few armored vehicles.


-------------------------------------------------------
6)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4055520&startrow=21&date=2004-03-15&do_alert=0


Russia Information Agency (Novosti)
March 15, 2004


ADZHARIA MINED BRIDGE ON ADZHARIA-GEORGIA BORDER


TBILISI, March 15, 2004. (RIA Novosti) -- The security
structures of Adzharia mined the bridge over River
Choloki on the administrative border with Georgia
today, the Rustavi-2 TV company reported. The bridge
is part of the Tbilisi-Batumi highway.


Interior Minister Dzhemal Gogitidze of Adzharia
confirmed the mining of the bridge. He said it was
done to prevent the armed forces of Georgia from
crossing into the autonomous republic, the TV channel
reported. "The actions and statements made by Mikhail
Saakashvili forced Adzharia to proclaim independence.
It was a big mistake of the president," Mr. Gogitidze
told journalists.
-------------------------------------------------------
7)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4056110&startrow=11&date=2004-03-15&do_alert=0



Russian Information Agency  (Novosti)
March 15, 2004


ABKHAZIA CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION DEVELOPMENT AROUND
ADZHARIA, SAYS ABKHAZIAN LEADER


MOSCOW, March 15, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - Abkhazia (a
self-proclaimed republic in the territory of Georgia)
is concerned about the situation around Adzharia (the
autonomous republic of Georgia). Abkhazian leader
Vladislav Ardzinba disclosed this in his statement,
which RIA Novosti received on Monday.

"Our people lived through all the horrors of war.
Therefore, the events in neighbouring Georgia cannot
but worry us," Mr. Ardzinba said.

Having pointed out that several thousand Abkhazians
live in the territory of Adzharia, the Abkhazian
leader expressed "serious apprehensions with regard to
their fate." Vladislav Ardzinba called upon the
Georgian authorities "not to use arms for settling
relations with Adzharia, because this will create a
real danger of breaking out a civil war." "In the past
few years, the Adzharian leadership has proved its
ability to ensue stability in the republic and to
conduct a responsible policy," Mr. Ardzinba believes.

In his opinion, "there are no doubts that the problem
can be settled politically, through a constructive
dialogue, not by using arms." The Abkhazian leader
expressed the hope that "the Georgian leadership has
enough political will and wisdom to prevent the
dangerous development of the events, capable to
seriously undermine the regional stability."







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