Friday, August 24-September 7, 2007, #162 (1429)

NATO considers sharing radar data as missile probes reach stalemate

By Eter Tsotniashvili



The investigation into the August 6 missile incident may get a second wind as NATO reportedly considers sharing its radar records with Georgia after member countries' representatives reviewed the incident.

The missile which crashed into a field outside the village of Tsitelubani on August 6 has since dominated relations between Georgia and Russia, which Tbilisi blames for the incident. Two independent groups of foreign experts have confirmed that the weapon was a Russian-manufactured Kh-58 anti-radar missile, launched or jettisoned by an aircraft which flew three incursions into Georgian airspace that evening.

Moscow accuses the Georgian government of staging the incident to discredit them, and their own investigation team released a report buttressing their story.

Russia insists its radar records prove they weren't involved, contrary to Georgia's radar data. The second group of investigators, which included experts from the UK, Estonia and Poland, said that Russia shared only secondary radar records, which detects and tracks aircraft through on-board transponders. The plane in question had its transponder turned off, the group reported.

NATO has a network of air defense and radar stations stretching into eastern Turkey, meaning they almost certainly have radar coverage of the area the missile hit. While confirmation of Georgia's radar data would further support Tbilisi's claims, head of the Soros-funded Open Society Georgia Foundation Davit Darchiashvili thinks sharing the radar records would have larger, positive ramifications for Georgia.

"This agreement would be very important not only because NATO countries will be more actively involved in ensuring our country's security, but it also means that NATO member countries trust Georgia and consider it to be close to entering into the alliance," he told Rustavi 2.

In 2003, there was talk of NATO sharing its radar data with Georgia, Albania, Macedonia and Ukraine-all candidates for accession to the military alliance-but the plan fizzled, reportedly due to technical issues.

As NATO discussed extending cooperation with Georgia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced another violation of Georgian airspace on August 21. A Russian aircraft, the ministry claimed, twice flew over the vicinity of upper Kodori Gorge, the only portion of secessionist Abkhazia controlled by Tbilisi.

Russian officials denied the claim.

"No Russian aircraft conducted any flights near the Georgian border, including in the surrounding area of the Kodori Gorge on August 21," said Alexander Drobishevsky, an aide to the Russian air force commander, speaking to the Interfax news agency. Russian General Yuri Baluevsky, talking with the same agency August 23, suggested his "Georgian colleagues [were] suffering from hallucinations."

That same day, the de facto Abkhaz government, which is conducting large-scale military exercises near lower Kodori Gorge, claimed a Georgian aircraft flew into their airspace on August 22 in an "act directed towards an escalation of tensions in the conflict zone."


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