TBILISI. Aug 13 (Interfax) - Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has called the Georgian leadership's decision to start military actions in the Tskhinvali region "a serious mistake".

"They should have calculated everything, including the possible transfer of Russian troops to the Tskhinvali region, which apparently was not done," Shevardnadze told Interfax on Wednesday.

By starting the military offensive against the Tskhinvali region, the Georgian authorities "got into a Russian trap," Shevardnadze said. "Russia had long been developing a plan to drag Georgia into armed confrontation, but the incumbent Georgian authorities disregarded this and pinned too much hope on their own strength," he said.

Shevardnadze ruled out the possibility that the U.S. or other Western countries could have promised military assistance to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in case of the conflict's escalation. "I completely rule out the possibility that Washington or other Western capitals could have promised military assistance to Saakashvili, because nobody in the West wants military confrontation with Russia," he said. The only way out of the situation is negotiations with Russia, Shevardnadze said.

Commenting on statements by a number of Russian political figures implying that Saakashvili is not a man to negotiate with, Shevardnadze said this would be a mistake. "Nobody has the right to treat the leader of a state legitimately elected by the people as a desired or undesired negotiator," he said.

"I can't make forecasts, because I don't possess enough political information, but the situation in Georgia is very difficult now," he said.