20:55, 22 August 2008

Evstafiev: OSCE was unaware of the date of Georgia's attack on South Ossetia

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has refuted the statement made by Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of Russian Armed Forces, according to which the OSCE had known the date of Georgia's attack on South Ossetia but failed to warn Russian peacekeepers.

"Neither the OSCE headquarters nor the OSCE mission in Georgia possessed any information about intentions of the parties to use military force," said on Thursday Mikhail Evstafiev, OSCE press secretary.

As he said, the OSCE field mission in Tskhinvali "continued to function until we managed to evacuate the employees; it became possible only on Friday, August 8."

Earlier, on Thursday, August 21, Mr Nogovitsyn stated that the OSCE was informed about the date of Georgia's attack on South Ossetia but failed to warn Russian peacekeepers, the RIA "Novosti" reports.