Duma to discuss draft resolution on South Ossetia

On Friday, the State Duma included the draft resolution In View of Tbilisi's Actions in South Ossetia in the agenda. (South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed republic of Georgia.)

According to Andrei Kokoshin, chairman of the CIS affairs committee, the resolution is being drafted by four Duma committees - the CIS affairs, international affairs, and defense and security committees.

At the same time, parliamentarians did not support the initiative of Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Rodina (Motherland) faction, to invite the foreign minister, the defense minister and the security council secretary to the Duma's Government Hour session on Saturday.

Commenting on this decision, Mr. Kokoshin said, "the situation in the region is really alarming and complicated," but three profile committees have recently met in a closed session attended by the foreign minister and deputy defense minister.

The CIS affairs committee keeps in touch with the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the Security Council, which is why he recommended that their heads did not have to be invited to the Duma session.

He specified that a political statement of the Duma on South Ossetia would be prepared later in the day for the parliamentarians to express their position on this issue.

According to the latest reports from the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, a reinforcement convoy of the Georgian internal forces has been brought into South Ossetia via the Tkviavi post.

RIA Novosti correspondent in South Ossetia reports that about ten trucks with armed people and several cars are heading for the Tskhinvali district.

Officials have banned reporters at the post from videotaping.

The military have not commented on the reinforcement in the Tskhinvali district yet.

According to Guram Donadze, chairman of the Interior Ministry's press centre, the South Ossetian side has been shelling the Georgia settlement Nikozi controlled by the Georgian peacekeepers from 3 am.

In his words, it is random shooting, and no casualties have been reported.

According to the Interior Ministry's chief spokesman, the situation is under control.