MOSCOW, Aug 11 (AFP) - Fighting broke out early Wednesday between Georgia and its separatist, pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, with shots coming from the Georgian positions, not far from the Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, the Interfax news agency reported.
The outskirts of Tskhinvali and two Ossetian villages nearby were under fire, while there were no reports of casualties. The fighting erupted at 12:45 am (2045 GMT).
After a brief lull, fighting resumed at 02:35 am (2235 GMT), with mortar shots being fired on Tskhinvali from the Georgian village of Tamaresheni, Interfax reported, adding that some buildings in Tskhinvali had suffered damage.
A senior South Ossetian official told Interfax that there were no casualties.
"Residents of Tskhinvali have gone out on the street so as not to be injured in their homes," said the head of South Ossetia`s Information and Press Committee, Irina Gagloyeva.
However, a Georgian police official told the RIA Novosti news agency that shots had come from the South Ossetian positions and were aimed at Georgian villages.
The Georgian official, regional police head Alexander Sukhitashvili, also said there were no casualties.
Georgia`s defense minister, who is currently on a visit to Moscow, said Tuesday that his country was ready to fight if needed to win back South Ossetia but would prefer to resolve the dispute through negotiation.
"The army should always be prepared for war, but we are against it in principle and will do everything possible to avoid armed conflict," Georgy Baramidze told Moscow Echo radio.
His comments followed talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov, and came amid growing tension between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region.
Georgia`s new President Mikhail Saakashvili has vowed to win back control over South Ossetia and another Georgian separatist region, Abkhazia, which both broke away from Tbilisi after bitter fighting in the early 1990s.