Saakashvili ordered to start combat actions in South Ossetia

Georgian leader, Mikhail Saakashvili confessed that it was he who ordered to start combat actions in Tskhinval region. He stated it at the meeting of Temporary Parliamentary Committee for Investigation of Events on August 2008 on Friday.

Photo: Saakashvili ordered to start combat actions in South Ossetia

The meeting started with the questions that Saakashvili wrote down carefully and than asked the Committee to let him make a statement.

He underlined that the Committee established in Parliament is the highest manifestation of democracy and parliamentarism, and pointed out the fact of the President testifying at the meeting of this Committee, though it was not implied by the Constitution.

«It proves that Georgian government has chosen the way of democracy and transparency. Though many countries in such situation would toughened the interior policy regime, we decided to follow the way of democratization», - Saakashvili stated.

According to Saakashvili, the question, whether Georgia was the first to make a decision on starting combat actions in order to restore control over the territories she didn't controlled, worries everyone, and "our enemies" spent hundreds if millions dollars to underline it, conduct propagandist campaigns and bribe journalists.

«I want to say straight that we did made this decision. It was a very hard decision, but any other democratic state would have done the same to defend own citizens», - Georgian President noticed.

According to Saakashvili, the decision was caused by two leading factors. One of them: the undeniable intelligence data, in accordance with which Russia drew enormous army of servicemen and military machines to Roki Tunnel and was going to invade Georgian territories. The other: intensive firing not only at Georgian settlements of Tskhinval region, but as well settlements with Georgian and Ossetian population. The firings came from Tskhinval and posts close to the ones of so called Russian peacemakers, Saakashvili pointed out.

«Our objective was to eliminate weapon emplacements that fired at settlements », - Saakashvili explained.

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