Bush tells Moscow to leave Georgia
The Australian
Bush has warned Russia to reverse course in Georgia, saying Moscow’s military strike there had damaged its world standing and endangered ties with the United States and Europe.
“Russia has invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people,” Mr Bush said at the White House today.
“Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century.”
He said the Georgian Government already had accepted outlines of a peace agreement that the Russian Government previously suggested it would accept.
Its terms include “an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of forces from the conflict zone, a return to the military status quo as of August 6, and a commitment to refrain from the use of force,” Mr Bush said.
He noted that European leaders and officials were pressing for Russia’s agreement to the peace plan.
“Russia’s Government must respect Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Mr Bush said. “Russia’s government must reverse the course that it appears to be on as a first step toward resolving this conflict.”
“Russia’s actions this week have raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region.”
Mr Bush’s comments came just after the UN Security Council began fresh talks on draft text calling for an immediate truce in the Russia-Georgia conflict, agreed by US and European diplomats after several days of discord.
Few details were immediately available about the draft UN resolution, but the proposed text was based on a three-point peace plan that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is trying to sell to Tbilisi and Moscow.
The French blueprint called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities; full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia” and “the re-establishment of the situation that existed before” Georgia sent forces into its breakaway South Ossetia enclave last week to wrest control from Moscow-backed separatists.
Earlier a diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported “good progress” after the expert-level meeting at France’s UN mission and said the participants were consulting with their capitals on the next step.
The diplomat said the US side wanted tougher language condemning what Washington saw as Moscow’s “disproportionate” response to the Georgian offensive.
But the Europeans were much more interested in crafting a text that would enjoy broad support, particularly from Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the council, he added.
“This is going to take some time, except if you want a Russian veto, which is not the solution,” the diplomat said.
Meanwhile, as Russian forces punched deeper into Georgian territory to crush any resistance to their withering assault, Mr Kouchner discussed his peace plan with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili before heading to Moscow.
The two visited the Georgian city of Gori, close to South Ossetia, and were forced to take cover when an unidentified helicopter flew overhead.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also to visit Moscow and Tbilisi tomorrow, according to Mr Saakashvili.
Despite the flurry of international diplomacy to head off a wider conflict, Russia maintained an uncompromising stance, with its ambassador to NATO saying Moscow could not deal with Mr Saakashvili, a man it now views as a war criminal.
“Saakashvili is no longer a man that we can deal with,” Dmitry Rogozin said in Brussels.
“He must be punished for breaching international law. He is responsible for many war crimes (against South Ossetian civilians and Russian peacekeepers).”
And Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov dismissed the peace initiative, saying it did not amount to a ceasefire.
A “ceasefire agreement is signed by two sides when they meet,” he told CNN, adding first “we need a written agreement between Georgia on one side, South Ossetia and Abkhazia .. that they will never use force in the future.”
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GEORGIAN Soldiers
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Russia set to reject French peace plan
The Australian
INTERNATIONAL efforts to mediate an end to the conflict between Georgia and Russia were set to intensify today, but Moscow signalled it opposes a peace plan calling for an immediate truce.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, was due in Moscow to hold talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on a plan to end the conflict.
But Russia’s ambassador to the UN yesterday rejected the proposed Western draft resolution in the Security Council based on a three-point French peace plan.
“I cannot see us accepting this French draft,” Vitaly Churkin told reporters, referring to a French-drafted text agreed by Western ambassadors.
The plan, which Tbilisi has accepted, calls for an immediate truce, respect for Georgia’s territorial integrity and a return to the status quo that prevailed before Georgian troops punched into South Ossetia last week to wrest control from Moscow-backed separatists.
Churkin objected to the fact that the draft resolution did not refer to “Georgian aggression and to the atrocities we have seen”.
Moscow has accused Georgian forces of killing 2,000 civilians as well as Russian peacekeepers in what it described as war crimes.
Churkin however expressed hope that an acceptable draft would eventually be worked out and listed two Russian conditions: Georgian forces must pull out of South Ossetia and “the Georgians (must) agree to sign agreements on the non-use of force with the Ossetians and with the Abkhazians.”
Earlier yesterday Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov dismissed the EU efforts.
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Putin’s a two-bit thug.
“…We no longer know the limits of the invading Russian army—Russia seems intent on overthrowing the democratically elected government of Georgia and occupying the country,” said Alexander Lomaia, the Secretary of the National Security Council. “As a consequence, the National Security Council has just decided to bring the Georgian army to Tbilisi in order to defend the capital and prevent the fall of Georgia..” — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
LINK for quote
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Puddin Pants has no inkling of leaving his precious oil behind. Sounds like Gollum, “My precious!” He even looks like Gollum. And he certainly isn’t going to do what Bush tells him. He feels it’s his country and he can do as he pleases. Remember, he liked Bubba. Ugly monster.
Put some more “Rice’ on it Jorge!!!
The Russians will do what they want to. They have no outside opposition. Whatever their plan is, probably to rebuild the old USSR and control all the area oil resources, they are mostly free to pursue it.
The only good thing I can see out of this incident is that it may work against Obama as he shows utter confusion and probable flip-flopping on what America should do.
Russia under Putin seems to be an old style foreign policy of what ever is in the interestes of more power and wealth for Russia. If Russia can do that, why is it that we can not just take Iraq’s oil to compensate us for an expensive public service of freeing them from Saddam and trying to protect them from Islam? Bush has changed foriegn policy from cold war opposition to Russia, even it that meant supporting the Shaw if Iran to a policy of spreading Demacracy. I agree for the most part. This just proves that the US is willing to exersize self restraint and our enemies are not. We can only afford that while we are a super power and they are not. If we are ever faced with a serious military challenge, self restraint will not work in our interests.
Lynn, your right, he sure did like Clinton. yuk
Jack, LOL good one.
Tom, that’s true, I always remember how when I was growing up I would hear things like that too, how Russia pretty much answered to know one.
Odin, it sure makes a difference being a super power but that could change so rapidly. I keep thinking of how fragile the world is right now. A strange word to use I know but so many hot spots around the world, so many wanting power . I just pray the good guys always win in the end or the entire world will change to something run by fear.
The first lesson for the American left after Russia’s revolution in 1917 was that Leninism immediately chaged itself from a means to better the working class to an instrument of Russian foreign policy.
That was nearly a hundred years ago, and in its various ways, for 75 years Russia tried to extend its reach through revolution and totalitarianism. None of that ended in 1989, and for some reason, America didn’t learn that Russia would be Russia, no matter the system under which the Russians lived. Bush should have known better.
Now, Russian hasn’t the political will or ideological excuse of communism to suppress an angry country for long. The Georgians will get even, and they’ll take a long time in their revenge.
Rhod thank you so much for telling about that. It makes it easier to understand some of these things, like you said American didn’t learn that Russia would be Russia.