Shevardnadze: Georgia will regain Abkhazia

Georgian president accuses the Abkhaz separatists of ethnic cleansing

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze says he is confident of regaining the breakaway region of Abkhazia, scene of intense fighting over the past few days. The following are excerpts - translated by BBC Monitoring - of the president's regular weekly interview broadcast by Georgian radio on Monday:

First of all, I would like to congratulate my people and the whole of Georgia on the forthcoming independence day, the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Georgia's statehood.

However difficult the situation may be, we must always bear in mind that independence and statehood are our greatest achievement which has never been abolished without the use of arms.

It is not accidental that I am saying this, indeed. Nor is it accidental that forces, which are very well known to you, chose these days to roll a fresh wave of ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia and, in particular, in Gali District where mainly ethnic Georgians reside.

"30,000 refugees"

It is clear to everyone that what has been happening in Gali District is a punitive operation directed against the local population.

The Sukhumi (separatist) authorities have carried out such operations or expeditions more than once in the last few years. However, this time, it was remarkable for its extraordinary scale. You know that on 20th May, over 800 armed men raided Gali District.

There appeared a danger of the physical annihilation of tens of thousands of residents.

The peacekeeping forces were not able to or did not prevent a mass invasion of the irregulars on the zone controlled by the peacekeepers, as stipulated by their mandate.

Punitive units raided the villages of Primorskiy, Salkhino, Sida, Khumushkuri, Barghebi and Repo-Etsera, the majority of the residents of which moved en masse towards Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha districts (in Georgia). The number of these refugees has reached 30,000.

Had it not been for self-defence units of the local population and guerrillas, the outcome of the ethnic cleansing would have been more tragic.

Appeal for help

The formal excuse for this invasion was to curtail acts of sabotage and to fight against subversive groups and so on. However, in fact, I believe that this was the continuation of the policy of ethnic cleansing.

Meanwhile, because the conflict in Gali District grew into a real peril to civilians and the lives of thousands of people were endangered.

We appealed to international organizations - the group of friends of Georgia (Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the USA) through their representatives in Georgia, the UN Security Council and the OSCE.

Russian relevant structures bear special responsibilities, because the peacekeeping forces of this country are deployed in the conflict zone at present and under their mandate, as I already said, they are committed not to allow punitive units, whichever side they may be from, to enter the safe zone.

As for the guerrilla movement and the local self-defence units, we all have to admit that they exist in reality, because they reflect the sacred right of every resident of the region to live on his native land and defend his own home.

I expect that the above-mentioned international organizations will raise their voices and deplore the policy of ethnic cleansing.

I still hope that the forces in Russia - this time I would like to put special emphasis on Russia - that support aggressive separatism will come to reason and will realize what events occur and what kind of processes begin to develop in their own country because of this policy.

"Ready for compromise"

I appeal once again, for the umpteenth time, to the Abkhaz leadership to give up the policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Georgian population and to bear in mind that Georgia will never accommodate itself to losing Abkhazia. It is ruled out.

Therefore, let us meet promptly, while it still is not too late, and seek a real compromise.

The Georgian authorities are ready for such a compromise. We are offering Abkhazia, the highest possible status ever applied in the international practice to a constituent entity of a federation and, of course, we demand the soonest possible and secured return of refugees to their homes.

We have not involved regular armed forces in the combat activities and this was deliberate. However, we have provided guerrillas and the people's volunteer force with any possible aid.

"I could not permit new war"

The involvement of the regular army in the incident - I realize how difficult it is to hear this but I cannot avoid facing the truth - would lead us to a large-scale military confrontation and you know very well from our past experience what forces would join the new warfare on the other side.

I could not, I reiterate, I could not permit the beginning of a new war.

I congratulate Georgia on the 80th anniversary of restoration of independence and the establishment of the first Georgian republic.

In the 1920s, this young republic was run over by a red wheel which had gained momentum in a foreign country, and destroyed it.

Currently, there are forces which are trying to redirect us to the past. However, their aspirations will not come true.

I do not believe what I have said many times will remain just empty words.

It is impossible for historic justice not to be restored. Abkhazia will be regained.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.