Russia Says Georgia Is Playing With Fire In Abkhazia

MOSCOW, Aug 6 (AFP) - Russia on Friday accused Georgia of playing with fire and seeking to destabilize Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia in another angry diplomatic exchange between Moscow and Tbilisi over the Caucasus.
Russia's comment came after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili predicted Abkhazia, which has close links with Moscow, could turn into a war zone, and warned Georgia could shoot down Russian planes flying in the region.
"Abkhazia is not a place to holiday, it is a war zone... (Russian) tourists have nothing to do there," the Georgian president had said Thursday, before leaving for a visit to the United States.
Saakashvili also warned Georgia's navy would target ships that regularly bring Russian tourists to holiday on Abkhazia's Black Sea coast.
The Russian foreign ministry issued an unusually biting and sardonic protest note in response.
"So does this mean that Tbilisi intends to carry out a politics of blockade and sanctions against a part of its own country?" it queried in a statement Friday.
"Does this mean that Tbilisi plans to play with fire?".
Moscow also sought to reassure Russian tourists in Abkhazia and vowed to ensure their safety.
Threats escalated further Friday when Georgian Interior Minister Irakly Okruashvili alleged a Russian military plane had violated Georgia's air space and warned: "The next plane will be shot down."
Russia denied the allegation.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin had Thursday voiced concern at the close relations between Georgia and the United States, which has helped train Georgia's army.
During his US stay, which ends August 8, Saakashvili is scheduled to meet with several US officials including US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Russia-backed Abkhazia gained de facto independence from Georgia in 1993 after bitter fighting and the exodus of some 250,000 Georgians.
But Saakashvili has vowed to reunify his fractured republic since toppling the administration of veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze in a peaceful revolution last year.