Georgia denies use of cluster bombs in South Ossetia

The Ministry of Defence of Georgia has stated that "during the armed conflict with Russia the Georgian party never used cluster bombs against population and civil aims of South-Ossetian or any other region."

Earlier, the UN Population Fund announced that refugees from villages located to the north of Gori and from villages of South Ossetia "cannot imagine their return home in the near future. Their villages are still stuffed with cluster bombs and mines."

"Georgian troops are armed with a missile system GRADLAR160 and missiles model MK4 LAR160 (with M-85 cluster bomb) having maximum range of 45 km," runs the statement of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. "The GRADLAR system was used against Russian arms and Russian military column that moved from Russia to Georgia, from the Rokskiy Tunnel to the Dzar Highway."

The Georgian MoD has disseminated this statement because yesterday, on September 1, in Geneva, Bonnie Doherty, spokesman of the Human Rights Watch, stated that "Georgia had acknowledged the use of М-85 cluster bombs in several districts of South Ossetia, in particular, near the Rokskiy Tunnel connecting South Ossetia with Russia," the ITAR-TASS reports.

Human Rights Watch asserts that at least 14 persons were killed by cluster bombs.

The Reuters reports, with reference to Human Rights Watch officials, that HRW has evidences that on August 8 Russian aviation dropped several cluster bombs on disposition of Georgian armoured troops near Shindisi and Pkhvenisi.

Human rights activists assert that in bombardments of Shindisi one peaceful resident was killed and another wounded. In the days to follow, at least two more peaceful residents died and five wounded from contacts with unexploded elements of cluster bombs.

In its turn, Russia denies any use of this weapon. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff, has announced that "we didn't use cluster bombs; there was no need to do it."

The BBCRussian.com remarks that there will be still more casualties and victims if the Russian party fails to immediately disclose the affected areas for professional de-mining organizations to start clearing.

According to Human Rights Watch, Russian troops also used cluster bombs for bombarding Gori and Ruisi on August 12, as a result of which at least 11 civilians were lost and dozens wounded.