Georgians holding Georgian and U.S. flags celebrate Wednesday’s arrival of U.S. humanitarian aid at the airport in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital. (AP)
US planes begin delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia
IRISH Times.com
US military planes have begun delivering aid to Georgia as Washington stepped up support for a shaky ceasefire with Russian troops around the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Russia said today it will soon pull out from Gori, a town 60km east of the capital Tbilisi, just outside South Ossetia and which contols the key road between eastern and western Georgia. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to hold talks with French president Nicolas Sarkozy before heading to Tbilisi.
Her trip comes six days into a conflict that has shifted from artillery, tank and gun battles at the weekend to increasingly sharp diplomatic and political exchanges out of Washington, Moscow and Tbilisi.
US president George Bush, flanked by Ms Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates in the Rose Garden, demanded Moscow end the crisis, abide by an agreed ceasefire and withdraw Russian troops sent into Georgia after fighting began last Thursday.
“The United States of America stands with the democratically-elected government of Georgia. We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected,” Mr Bush told reporters at the White House.
Moscow has denied violating a ceasefire and rejected claims its troops and armour had advanced on Tbilisi or looted Gori.
Speaking in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, told by Ms Rice that Russian servicemen were failing to prevent looting by irregular militias in Gori, said such actions would not be tolerated.
“I said from the very beginning that if any such facts prove true, we will react in the most serious way…The peaceful population should be protected. We are investigating all these reports and will not allow any such actions,” Mr Lavrov said.
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has urged France, which is mediating in the conflict, to encourage Tbilisi to sign a binding agreement
Wild Thing’s comment………
We lead…UN follows ONLY after how many nations individually contributed to the cause.
Australia to offer humanitarian aid to Georgia
Slovakia to send humanitarian aid to Georgia
Romania decides to send aid to Georgia
Norway announces more humanitarian aid to Georgia
France, Germany contribute aid for Georgia, UN feeds displaced
Netherlands pledges emergency aid to Georgia
Italy gives 200 thousand euro in aid to Georgia
Canada pledges one million dollars for Georgia
United Nations Steps Up Aid To Georgia
This is good news this should stop Putin in his KGB tracks. Unless he wants to start WW 3 and he can’t afford that.
One thing about the Soviet Union, they have had a significant drop in population in the last 20 years and in the next 20 years they will be hard pressed to field an army of any significant size let alone supply a work force to support that army. This is a do or die moment for Putin. The country is so poor a couple is hard pressed to support a new baby and abortions have risen significantly higher than births, also deaths have risen above the replacement rate. They are at the point where they are not even at the replacement rate of births.
Their whole population could halve itself within the next 30 to 50 years. Putin is trying to correct the problem but it may be at the point of being too late.
This too is great news.
I think these many countries donating individually is better than the UN actually doing something. This shows more true concern by nations on their own than a phony, half-hearted, pilfering effort by the UN. Nations united are more effective than a United Nations.
Duly noted Tom. We wouldn’t want to stretch the capabilities of the UN and let Hamas suffer nor allow Hezbollah in Lebanon miss an arms shipment. Nor do we want to deprive the U.N.’s African peace keepers of their worldly pleasures nor put them in harm’s way. Just send in those UN dues so they can keep up their good work.
Mark, yes I was very pleased to see this, it made me feel really good. God bless these countries that speak out and help like this.
I just saw on the news now that Russia is not stopping they just won’t stop. Grrrrrrr
Tom, I agree, I really love it like this. It is so much better this way. More sincere and makes a much bigger statement doing it this way too.
Jack, yes this shows how no one needs the UN. Who the hell cares about that commie thing, we sure don’t. Then can emplode that place for all I care…down with the UN!! Yessss
Political Science 101 reminds me that in reference to the UNecessary UN… Russia has VETO POWER! The UN is not a factor and that’s why Vlad Putin did what he did. The Ukraine is next, possibly… Russians are like BEARS – fearless.
Georgia was refused entry into NATO by the Europeon Union (Eurabian.