Georgia to hand over Russian officers to OSCE

Moscow, Oct 2 (UNI) In a placatory move to defuse the current crisis, Georgia will hand over the four Russian military officers to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today, according to a highly placed source in the Georgian President's office in Tbilisi.

The report attributed to Itar-Tass news agency further added that the Georgian authorities have decided to turn the officers over today to the current OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel De Gucht, who is due to arrive in Tbilisi.

Meanwhile, Russia today suspended air, land and sea transport services to Georgia, the Russian Transport Ministry told Interfax news agency.

Last week, Georgian authorities had arrested four Russian army officers on charges of espionage triggering an unprecedented diplomatic row between the two former Soviet republics, in recent years.

UNI XC MQA GC2011