Putin objects to tactics of 'peaceful ousting' of terrorists from Georgia

In response to massages received from Georgian President EduardShevardnadze recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter ontopical issues of Russian-Georgian relations to the Georgian leader onSeptember 4, the Press Service of the President of Russia reported. It isunderlined in the letter that the tactics of 'peaceful ousting' ofterrorists is unacceptable. The letter expresses hope that the operationbeing conducted by Georgian law enforcement agencies in the Pankisi gorgeis orientated to achieving real results, and the terrorists will beblocked, disarmed and made an example of to the international community.Russia assumes that in the future, they will be handed over to Russia. It is pointed out in the letter that Russia has been consistently followingthe traditional policy of developing friendly, neighborly contacts betweenthe two countries, trying to fulfill them with cooperation and strategicpartnership. At the same time, Putin remarked that Russia was seriouslyconcerned with the situation in the Pankisi gorge, where a substantialnumber of armed Chechen militants and international terrorists havegathered, whose presence in Georgia poses a direct threat to the securityof Georgia.The letter shows Russia's readiness to give assistance to respectiveGeorgian agencies in discovering and identifying terrorists who committedcrimes in Russia and to send a group of authorized representatives ofRussian law enforcement agencies to Georgia for that purpose. Thisassistance does not rule out the possibility of giving other kinds ofassistance to Georgia. The President of Russia also confirmed the readinessof the respective Russian agencies to cooperate with their Georgiancounterparts and to exchange information and surveillance data on aircraftflights near the Russian-Georgian border..