Georgia president says Kremlin threats echo Hitler

TBILISI, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze criticised Russia on Friday over its threat of pre-emptive strikes on Chechen rebels in his country, drawing parallels between the Kremlin and Adolf Hitler.

Russian officials have repeatedly threatened preventive strikes on bases inside Georgia, from where Moscow says Chechen rebels have launched cross-border raids on Russian forces, unless Tbilisi takes action against them.

Georgia says it has regained control of the remote Pankisi Gorge, once used as a hideout for guerrillas fighting against Russian rule in neighbouring Chechnya. It complained bitterly at alleged Russian air raids inside its territory in late 2001.

"No one in the world has the right to launch preventive strikes today. No one. Neither Russia nor any other state," Shevardnadze said.

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