NATO experts in Georgia to assess arms loss in war with Russia

Moscow, Sept 10 (PTI) A group of N.A.T.O. experts is in Tbilisi to assess damage to Georgia's military infrastructure caused by the four-day war with Russia, apparently before providing the country with fresh armaments.

A group of experts is taking an inventory of Georgian armed forces losses, according to media reports here.

Any decision on the volume and nature of new arms aid
would be made at a session of the N.A.T.O. Council to be held
in Tbilisi on September 15-16, the Kommersant daily reported.

Although the N.A.T.O. experts' activities are not being
publicised, the Georgian Defence Ministry confirmed the
presence of experts in the country, the daily added.

"The group of experts is not authorized to make any
decision on aid in restoring the military infrastructure of
Georgia. It is working only on collecting information to be
delivered to Brussels," a Georgian defence source was quoted
as saying by the daily.

N.A.T.O. experts are also scheduled to visit military
bases in the east and west of the country that were destroyed
or damaged by the Russian bombardment and loss of weapons
stored there, which apparently were taken away by the Russian
troops to cripple Tbilisi's military capability.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Wednesday announced that under the peace deal brokered by the
E.U, Russian troops will be withdrawn from Senaki and Poti in
proper Georgia within 7 day deadline, which began on September
8 after Tbilisi signed a legally binding pledge not to use
force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In a parallel development Russian Defence Minister has
announced plans to permanently deploy a total of 7,600 regular
troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. PTI VS