General Mobilization Ordered In Abkhazia

General mobilization has been ordered in Abkhazia, Tatyana Guliya, press-secretary of the Abkhazian representation in Moscow said on Monday. In her words, the armed forces of the self-proclaimed republic have been built after the Swiss pattern. Every man liable for call-up has arms at home, when a general mobilization is ordered he comes to the assembly point. "War has not been declared, but as there are groups of militants in Abkhazia, the republic's leaders intend to prevent the seizure of major populated areas and eliminate the bandit formations that have infiltrated the Gulripshsky district". The general mobilization of the Abkhazian population liable for call-up is due to the situation in the republic - its authorities are concerned over the closeness to the republic's capital Sukhumi of the bandit formations that had attempted to seize the village Georgiyevskoye and downed a helicopter with UN military observers on Monday. According to the data of the defense ministry of the self-proclaimed republic, militants are based in the mountains a mere 2-4 km from Sukhumi. The administration of the Abkhazian president believes that militants' aim is to frustrate the negotiating process on Georgian-Abkhazian settlement.