Czech Foreign Minister Cuts Short Holiday Over Georgian Events

Text of report in English by Czech national public-service news agency CTK

Prague/Tbilisi, 10 August: Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who has cut his holiday short over the conflict in Georgia, today said Prague supports Georgia where by a sad coincidence fights broke out shortly before the 40th anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova said.

She told CTK that Schwarzenberg, who is returning to the office now instead of August 18, as originally planned, is in contact with his Georgian counterpart Eka Tqeshelashvili and also with Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister of France that presides over the EU now.

Czech Ambassador in Tbilisi Ivan Jestrab today said that some 30 Czechs have left Georgia along with a convoy bound for the Armenian capital Yerevan, from where most of them are to leave by a Polish plane for Warsaw later today.

Further Czechs will leave Armenia in the same way on Monday, Jestrab told CTK.

Another four Czechs, who find themselves in western Georgia and cannot use their air-tickets to depart from Batumi by plane, will go to Istanbul by car. The Czech consulate in Istanbul will help them reach the Czech Republic, Jestrab said.

About 15 other Czechs want to remain in Georgia. The embassy knows their identity, their whereabouts and it has connection with them.

Another 15 Czechs, however, reportedly stay in Georgia’s mountainous areas, according to the embassy’s unconfirmed information. The embassy does not know their names nor is it in contact with them. Nevertheless, according to available information, all Czechs in Georgia are in order, unharmed and face no problems, Jestrab said.

He said the situation in Tbilisi is calm, but local residents are naturally nervous.

The Czech carrier CSA’s regular flights from Prague to Tbilisi and vice versa on Saturday was cancelled over the security situation in Georgia.

Another CSA plane is to depart for Tbilisi on August 12. “It will depend on the general situation whether the flight will depart,” CSA spokeswoman Daniela Hupakova told CTK.

On Friday, the Georgian military used force to gain control of the country’s separatist and pro-Russian province South Ossetia. It met with armed resistance of the Russian military that sent in troops to reinforce the Russian members of the South Ossetian peace corps.

Tens, hundreds and even thousands of victims have been reported by various sources from the South Ossetian centre Tskhinvali.

Originally published by CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1612 10 Aug 08.

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