Abkhazia Enemies Squabble Over Truce
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TBILISI, Georgia — Government troops and Abkhazian separatists accused each other of violating a cease-fire Thursday just hours after it was scheduled to take effect.
The separatists said that Georgian troops shelled the city of Tkvarcheli and several villages in Abkhazia, a former resort area where nearly 1,000 people have died in 10 months of fighting.
Georgia’s Defense Ministry denied the allegation, saying its forces halted fire on schedule at midnight Wednesday. It said Georgian troops did not even fight back when their positions came under sniper fire shortly after dawn.
The cease-fire agreement was reached last week in Moscow by Georgian leader Eduard A. Shevardnadze and Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin.
Abkhazia declared sovereignty from Georgia in July, setting off a battle for control of the region.
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