MOSCOW - Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia is to cut all ties with the national government, rebel leader Sergei Bagapsh was quoted as saying Monday after blaming Georgian officials for recent attacks.
"Abkhazia is ending all contacts with Georgia due to Tbilisi's policy of state terrorism," said Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazia's de facto leader, quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency.
"Terrorist acts in Gagra, Sukhumi and Gali are links in the same chain and we cannot fail to react," Bagapsh said.
Abkhazia, located on the Black Sea coast, has experienced a series of attacks in recent days.
Four people died and six were wounded late Sunday when an explosion rocked a cafe in the Gali district, Russian news agencies reported.
Last week blasts in the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi and the resort town of Gagra injured at least 10 people.
Georgia has denied involvement in last week's blasts.
Abkhaz and Georgian officials have very little direct contact but some transport links still remain between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia.
Tensions have risen since Russia in April sealed a formal cooperation accord with Abkhazia, partly inspired by Kosovo's independence declaration.
In a separate statement, Abkhazia's foreign affairs department urged G8 leaders meeting in Japan to prevent additional "terrorist attacks" by the Georgian authorities.
"Abkhazia is appealing to the countries of the G8, the OSCE... with a request to take adequate measures for the prevention of a threat of terrorism emerging from Georgia," Interfax quoted the statement as saying.
Abkhazia has enjoyed de facto independence since breaking away in a conflict after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Formally, Abkhazia's independence is not recognised by any country.
ch/njc/mb
07/07/2008 11:32 GMT