[R-G] Georgia says brief mutiny has ended

[Anthony Fenton]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090505.wgeorgia0505/BNStory/International/home


Georgia says brief mutiny has ended

MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI

Associated Press

May 5, 2009 at 8:38 AM EDT

TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia said it had ended a brief mutiny at a  
military base near the capital today that broke out after the arrest  
of a former special forces commander accused of planning to disrupt  
NATO exercises.

President Mikhail Saakashvili said in a televised address that the  
mutiny was an isolated case and the situation in the country was fully  
under control. “I personally led negotiations with the mutineers and  
suggested they turn in their weapons and give themselves up to police”  
and had suggested force could be used if they declined, he said.

Defence Minister David Sikharulidze earlier said he had been blocked  
from entering the base in Mukhrovani, about 30 kilometres from  
Tbilisi. The base's tank battalion of about 500 army personnel had  
announced that they would refuse to follow orders, he said.

The mutiny followed an announcement by the Interior Ministry that it  
had uncovered a Russian-supported plot to overthrow the government and  
had arrested the suspected organizers. The defence minister said the  
mutiny was in response to the arrests the night before.

But the Interior Ministry later backed off and said the coup plotters,  
backed by Russian troops, were intent mainly on disrupting NATO  
military exercises set to begin Wednesday in Georgia.

An official in Mr. Saakashvili's office said the mutiny was  
effectively over and that the intent of the mutineers seemed to be  
limited to disrupting the upcoming NATO exercises. There was no  
evidence, he said, that they planned a coup attempt. Neither is there  
any evidence of Russian involvement. He spoke on condition he not be  
identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record,

Russia, which fought a brief war against Georgia last year, has  
sharply criticized the exercises, which it said would encourage Mr.  
Saakashvili to rebuild its devastated army.

Mr. Saakashvili has been the target of more than three weeks of street  
protests by opposition demonstrators demanding he resign. His  
government has accused Russians of supporting the opposition.

The official in Mr. Saakashvili's office said: “There's absolutely  
nothing going on in Tbilisi, at the base or anywhere in the country.”

He said the mutiny was inspired by a small group of disgruntled  
officers who were involved in a similar action at the same base in 2001.

Russia's NATO envoy Dmitri Rogozin was quoted by the Interfax news  
agency as saying the allegations of Russian involvement were “crazy.”

Opposition leader and former Saakashvili ally Georgy Khaindrava said  
the reports of the planned coup were made up. “It's nothing but a tall  
tale, and we've heard so many of them already,” Mr. Khaindrava said.  
“Saakashvili could not make up anything smarter.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the suspected coup  
plot was organized by a former special forces commander, Georgy  
Gvaladze. Mr. Gvaladze and an army officer on active duty have been  
arrested, the spokesman said.

He said the ministry has a video of Mr. Gvaladze talking to his  
supporters about the planned coup, and that he is shown saying that  
5,000 Russian troops will come to support the coup, planned for  
Thursday.

The NATO exercises, which continue through June 1, were originally  
planned to include about 1,300 personnel from 19 NATO and partner  
nations. But some former Soviet republics have recently decided not to  
take part.

Among the countries to back out was Armenia, which is dependent on  
Russia for its economic survival. Four other former Soviet republics —  
Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Moldova — and Serbia also had decided  
to pull out, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported today.