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OSCE observers held in S Ossetia S Ossetia releases OSCE observers
(31 minutes later)
The leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia says his forces have detained several OSCE observers. Two OSCE observers detained on Tuesday by separatist forces in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia have been freed, an OSCE spokeswoman says.
Eduard Kokoity told Russia's Interfax news agency that the observers were being held for "illegally crossing the Georgian-South Ossetian border". Martha Freeman told the BBC that the monitors - one Hungarian and the other Turkish - were returning to their base.
The OSCE told the BBC that two military officers had been detained "somewhere around the administrative boundary of South Ossetia" on Tuesday morning. Earlier, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said the OSCE personnel were being held for "illegally crossing the Georgian-South Ossetian border".
The monitors are overseeing a ceasefire agreement between Georgia and Russia.The monitors are overseeing a ceasefire agreement between Georgia and Russia.
An OSCE spokeswoman in Georgia, Martha Freeman, says negotiations are now under way with "all relevant parties to get the situation resolved as quickly and effectively as possible". Georgia and Russia fought a brief but intense war last August, during which Georgia's attempts to regain control of South Ossetia and its other breakaway region of Abkhazia were repelled by Russian forces.
The monitors are now being held in Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway region, she told the BBC.
Georgia and Russia fought a brief but intense war last August, during which Georgia's attempts to regain control of South Ossetia and its other breakaway region of Abkhazia were repelled by Russian and separatist forces.
Both regions have been trying to gain formal independence since breaking away in the early 1990s. Russia has now recognised them as independent - a move condemned by Western nations.Both regions have been trying to gain formal independence since breaking away in the early 1990s. Russia has now recognised them as independent - a move condemned by Western nations.
'Provocative''Provocative'
On Tuesday, South Ossetia's separatist administration said a group of monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had been caught entering its territory illegally. Ms Freeman said the two unarmed OSCE military observers were detained on Tuesday morning in the Nikozi area, south-west of South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, and near the administrative border.
"The OSCE observers travelling in a car illegally crossed the border with South Ossetia in the Tskhinvali region and were detained by border guards in South Ossetia," Mr Kokoity said. "The two monitors are fine," she told the BBC. "They have been released and are now on their way back to base."
"The actions of the OSCE observers have a provocative nature and the South Ossetian interior ministry will make a statement to this effect," he added. "We will continue to look into the matter very carefully."
OSCE spokesman Martin Nesirky confirmed that two OSCE military monitoring officers "appear to have been detained somewhere around the administrative boundary of South Ossetia". Earlier, the head of South Ossetia's separatist administration said the observers had illegally driven into South Ossetian territory in the Tskhinvali region and had been detained by its border guards.
"The actions of the OSCE observers have a provocative nature," Mr Kokoity told Russia's Interfax news agency.
Two OSCE monitors were briefly detained by separatist forces in February after allegedly straying into South Ossetia.Two OSCE monitors were briefly detained by separatist forces in February after allegedly straying into South Ossetia.
Twenty-eight OSCE military observers have been based in Georgia since 1992, but following last year's conflict, the South Ossetian authorities have denied them access. Russia, which has thousands of troops in the territory, has also objected to their presence.