Java (town)

Java ( _os. Дзау, "Dzaw"; _ka. ჯავა) is a town in South Ossetia. According to Georgia's current official administrative division, Java is a main town of Java district in the north of Shida Kartli region. The town is situated on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, within the Greater Liakhvi Gorge, 1040 m above sea level.

Java is the second largest urban settlement in South Ossetia, after Tskhinvali. It is located outside the officially recognized and OSCE-monitored boundaries of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone – an area within a 15-km radius of Tskhinvali. Georgia accuses the Russian military of building a large military base there. These concerns were brought by the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, to the attention of the U.N. General Assembly on September 26, 2007. [ [http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=15884 Saakashvili Attacks Russia in UN Speech] . "Civil Georgia". September 26, 2007.]

According to the International Crisis Group, "Java is a particular irritant to Tbilisi [capital of Georgia] , making the nearby northern enclave of Georgian-administered villages in the zone of conflict vulnerable in any confrontation. The observers say the tanks are often old but up to 80 tanks or armoured vehicles are reported. A military reservation/training ground is apparently under construction in Java as well." [http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4887&l=1 Georgia’s South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly] . ICG Europe Report N°183, p. 14. 7 June 2007 (free registration needed to view full report)]

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