U.N. refugee chief in S.Ossetia urges civilian return

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres arrived in the capital of South Ossetia on Friday and called for the early voluntary return of refugees who fled the conflict in the rebel Georigan region.

Guterres discussed the humanitarian situation and prospects for aid access to South Ossetia with local authorities in Tskhinvali, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement.

Guterres is the first senior U.N. official to travel to South Ossetia since Russia and Georgia went to war. Georgia attempted to retake the Russian-backed rebel province by force on August 7-8, provoking a massive counter-attack by Moscow.

Previously, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was the only international humanitarian agency with full access to Tskhinvali, where tens of thousands of civilians need relief supplies.

Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the principle that all civilians forced to flee the recent fighting between Georgia and Russia should have the right to return home, the UNHCR statement said.

Russian authorities estimate more than 30,000 people have fled from South Ossetia to the neighbouring Russian territory of North Ossetia, it noted.

Before travelling to Tskhinvali, Guterres visited refugees from South Ossetia in Vladikavkaz, the main town of the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia.

"It was very clear to me that the large majority of those here want to go back home as soon as possible," the UNHCR statement quoted Guterres as saying there.

"Working with refugees around the world, we always prefer voluntary repatriation and we certainly hope it will be possible very soon," he said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Jon Boyle)