Georgia denies alleged war crimes

TBILISI, Georgia, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili "strongly" denied accusations his country's forces committed war crimes during the August attack on South Ossetia.

Saakashvili said he and his government "strongly deny any of this -- any accusation of war crimes -- but of course, we are very open for any kind of comments, we are very open for any kind of investigation," the BBC reported Tuesday.

"We called indeed for international investigation into (the) conduct of this war, into conditions leading to this war, into circumstances leading to this invasion," he said.

Saakashvili's comments came after witnesses told the BBC they saw tanks fire on an apartment block and Georgian troops targeting civilians during the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he has raised the issue with the Georgian government.

"On my visit to Tbilisi, of course I raised at the highest level in Georgia, the questions that have been asked and raised about war crimes and other military actions by the Georgian authorities. We have acted in this without fear, without favor," Miliband said.