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Georgia says it halts army mutiny
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-06 09:50 TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgia said hundreds of rebellious soldiers surrendered Tuesday after a brief mutiny the government described at first as part of a plot to disrupt NATO exercises that have angered Russia.
But Georgian authorities swiftly backed down from initial allegations of a Russian-backed bid to overthrow the government, and details of what they described as a daylong standoff at a tank battalion headquarters near the capital were shrouded in uncertainty. The reported mutiny deepened roiling political tension in a nation at the heart of persistent discord between Moscow and the West.
It came after weeks of street protests by opposition forces pressing for President Mikhail Saakashvili to resign over Georgia's disastrous war with Russia last August and allegations of misrule.
Russia denied any involvement, and Saakashvili's opponents dismissed the government's claims as a smokescreen to draw attention away from the effort to out him through peaceful protests.
Around midday, Defense Minister David Sikharulidze said he had been barred from entering a military base in Mukhrovani, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Tbilisi, and that the tank battalion's 500 personnel announced that they would refuse to follow orders. A number of civilians had joined the mutineers, he said.
Sikharulidze's remarks followed an announcement by the Interior Ministry that it had uncovered a Russian-supported plot to overthrow Saakashvili's government and had arrested suspected organizers including a former special forces commander.
The Interior Ministry later said the plotters were intent mainly on disrupting NATO military exercises set to begin Wednesday in Georgia and last through June 1.
Hours later, the Interior Ministry said the several hundred soldiers and officers at the base had handed over their weapons and surrendered after speaking to Saakashvili, who suggested that force could be used against them. They were bused to another military base for questioning, officials said.
Armored vehicles were later seen stationed around the Mukhrovani base.
In a televised address, Saakashvili said the mutiny was an isolated case and the situation nationwide was under control.
Saakashvili did not directly accuse Russia of involvement, but he claimed the mutiny was organized by former military officers with ties to Russian intelligence services.
"This is a blatant challenge to Georgia's stability and Constitutional security," he said.
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