There was on Monday an exchange of captives between Georgia and South Ossetia in Karaleti, five kilometres north of Gori, according to a statement released from the head office of the Russian peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia. “After Thomas Hammerberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, mediated between South Ossetia and Georgia, South Ossetia agreed to set free five Georgian civilians and two Georgian soldiers taken captive during the military operations in the village of Hetagurov,” the Russian peacekeeping forces statement said. In return, Georgia agreed to release five South Ossetian captives.
In one of his recent statements, Deputy Defence Minister of Georgia Batu Kuteliya, said that the Russian troops still continued to hold 12 Georgians as captives.
Early on August 22, 17 Georgian soldiers were exchanged with 10 Russian soldiers outside the central hospital in Gori.
Negotiations between the Georgian administration and Russian military agents had earlier led to the release of 63 civilians from Georgian villages in South Ossetia. An exchange of captives took place in the village of Igoeti on August 19. Russia set free 13 Georgian soldiers and two Georgian civilians. Georgia released two Russian military pilots and three Russian civilians.
KU/ÖZ/HT
