PARLIAMENTARY LEADER MORALLY SUPPORTS GEORGIAN GUERRILLAS IN ABKHAZIA.

Georgian Parliament Chairman Zurab Zhvania yesterday described as legitimate the Georgian guerrilla movement in Abkhazia. Receiving a Russian parliamentary delegation in Tbilisi, Zhvania condemned the Russian-supported ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia and rejected the double standard whereby Russian veterans “who fought in Ukraine or Moldova are deemed heroes, while Gali district residents who try to return to their land are deemed terrorists.” The comment is the most openly supportive yet by a Georgian leader (other than refugee leaders) with regard to the resistance movement in Abkhazia and coincides with a noticeable increase in the guerrilla’s effectiveness (see the Monitor, May 4 and 12).

RUSSIA PROPOSES ANTI-ISLAMIC TREATY WITH CENTRAL ASIA.