MOSCOW - President Vladimir V. Putin threatened yesterday to launch a military strike in the former Soviet state of Georgia, accusing its leaders of "conniving with terrorism" by allowing Chechen rebels to operate from a rugged border region.
Putin's warning, in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, came just a few hours before President Bush's appearance before the General Assembly and used some of the same arguments that Bush has been using to justify military action against Iraq.
"If the Georgian leadership doesn't take concrete actions to destroy the terrorists, and bandit incursions continue from its territory, Russia will take adequate measures to counteract the terrorist threat, in strict accordance with international law," Putin wrote. He had made similar threats on Russian television Wednesday, the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Putin said his aim was not to "undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Georgia or overthrow the regime of President Eduard A. Shevardnadze. But he accused Georgia of abetting terrorism by failing to drive Chechen fighters out of the Pankisi Gorge, which borders Russia's breakaway Chechen republic. Russia will do what is necessary to protect itself, he said.
A Russian incursion into Georgia would put the United States in an odd position. America has soldiers stationed there, training Georgian troops. At the same time, the State Department has agreed with Russian assertions that some al-Qaida fighters are hiding in the gorge.
Countering threats
Shevardnadze rejected what he called Putin's "threats" and warned that an incursion would be disastrous for Russia. "I do not think Russia would engage in an adventure that would lead to its moral and psychological defeat all over the world," he said, quoted yesterday in Tbilisi's Georgian Times.
Facing growing pressure from Russia, Shevardnadze had ordered 1,000 police officers and troops into the Pankisi Gorge last month. They arrested 13 suspected criminals and one alleged Arab militant but failed to satisfy Russia's demands for wider operations.
Yesterday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters that he would present Putin with plans to attack rebels in the gorge in the next few days. But the usually well-informed newspaper Kommersant Daily reported that Putin had approved plans for specific operations Sunday.
Escalating tensions
