EU envoy dismisses tensions in S Ossetia as "virtual"

The European Union (EU) believes that the strained atmosphere in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia was "more virtual and posed little war threats," says the EU special envoy to South Caucasus.

Peter Semneby said his conclusion was based on a EU investigation of the situation in the region.

After meeting Wednesday night with Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze, Semneby told reporters that there have been shootings in the border area between South Ossetia and Georgia.

Georgia accused South Ossetia of shooting at Georgian villages while South Ossetian authorities said the suburbs of Tskhinvali were attacked by Georgian mortars.

However, since similar incidents had occurred before and after the brief war between Georgia and Russia last August, the shootings were unlikely to aggravate the regional situation, Semneby said.

Meanwhile the Georgian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused Russia of unleashing "with enhanced vigour its information war against Georgia" on the eve of the first anniversary of last August's conflict.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last summer, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia to retake the renegade region that borders Russia. In response, Moscow sent in troops to drive Georgian forces out of the region.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states two weeks after the conflict ended.