Boris Chochiev, South Ossetian government's special affairs minister, told reporters on Monday following the Mixed Supervising Commission's session that the Georgian side had had to inform the peacekeeping forces' commander on the president's visit to the conflict zone.
According to Mr. Chochiev, "the president representing a party to the conflict settlement, did not even condescend to calling and informing the commander in the conflict zone". "It is unsound", he stressed.
In his turn, Georgia's State Minister for Conflicts Settlement Georgi Khaindrava pointed out that the Georgian president did not need any authorization for moving around his own country.
"The Georgian president's security is the responsibility of his bodyguards. As to the president's movements around Georgia's territory, it will never be coordinated with anyone. It is president's personal matter, where, when and with whom to go", said Mr. Khaindrava.
According to him, this territory is "the conflict zone for those, who participate in settling the conflict".
"There are no such zones for the Georgian president. It is his country, and he will travel where he wants", said the state minister.
Last night, the Georgian president accompanied by the interior minister and the national security minister unexpectedly visited the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Mr. Saakashvili visited the headquarters of the Georgian Interior Ministry's troops in Eredvi and met local Georgian population.
The session of the Mixed Supervising Commission's working group in Tskhinvali did not discuss the issue of detaining a truck driven by an Ossetian and carrying Fagot antitank guided missiles on Sunday night in the vicinity of the village of Kekhvi.
The sides discussed the issue of further presence of the Georgian and South Ossetian check-points in the conflict zone.
The Russian side at the meeting was headed by the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large Lev Mironov.
