Howlingwolf
08-11-2008, 12:02 PM
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218104261008&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Putin slams US for airlifting Georgian troops from Iraq
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the United States Monday for airlifting Georgian troops from Iraq.
The US military has started flying 2,000 Georgian troops home from Iraq after Georgia recalled them.
Meanwhile, Georgia asked the European Union to freeze strategic partnership talks with Russia unless Moscow halts its military campaign against its small neighbor.
Georgia's EU envoy Salome Samadashvili said the 27-nation bloc must make clear to Moscow there is a price to pay for attacking Georgia. She said the EU should tell the Russians "they risk their future relationship with the European Union."
She said that the EU should halt negotiations on a "strategic partnership deal" with Russia if the country does not stop its military campaign.
EU foreign ministers plan to meet Wednesday. They may also meet with Georgian counterpart Ekaterina Tkeshelashvili, who was due to meet NATO officials Tuesday in Brussels.
Earlier, Russia rejected a cease-fire pledge signed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and proposed by envoys from the European Union.
Saakashvili said he signed the document together with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb.
Nevertheless, a senior general said Russia had no plans to move its troops from Georgia's two breakaway provinces further into Georgian territory.
Deputy chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Russia had no intention of moving deeper into Georgian territory.
It came after swarms of Russian jets launched new raids on Georgian territory and Russia demanded Georgia disarm troops near the breakaway province of Abkhazia.
Georgia had said a Russian general's ultimatum to disarm carried the threat of a Russian offensive in the Abkhazia region. That would be a major escalation in the Russian-Georgian conflict that blew up after a Georgian offensive to regain control of the other breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Georgian troops fled South Ossetia on Sunday, yielding to superior Russian firepower, and Georgian leaders pleaded for a cease-fire. Moscow responded that Georgia was not observing its cease-fire pledge.
International envoys flew into the region late Sunday in an effort to end the conflict before it spreads throughout the Caucasus. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, representing the European Union, said Monday he met Saakashvili and found him "determined to make peace."
Russia's deputy chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said on Russian television that Russia demanded Georgia disarm police in Zugdidi, adjoining Abkhazia, but did not say what would happen if they do not.
Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said earlier that Gen. Sergei Chaban, in charge of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, conveyed a Russian ultimatum for Georgia to disarm via UN military observers in the area.
With most Georgian forces concentrated near South Ossetia, it could be hard for Georgia to repel an Abkhazian offensive.
Abkhazia's Russian-supported separatist government called out the army and reservists on Sunday and declared it would push Georgian forces out of the northern part of the Kodori Gorge, the only area of Abkhazia still under Georgian control.
Chaban said 9,000 additional Russian troops and 350 armored vehicles had arrived in Abkhazia to support Russian peacekeepers there, Russian news reports said. He said Russian forces were also preparing to help disarm Georgian forces in the gorge.
Russian jets hit a radar on the outskirts of the Georgian capital on Monday, bombed an airfield and also targeted the Black Sea port of Poti, inflicting no casualties, Georgian officials said.
Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said that up to 50 Russian jets were roaming Georgian skies all at once as of Monday morning.
Russian officials said the air raids targeted supply lines and military facilities and were not directed at civilians, but one Russian raid on the town of Gori killed over 20 and wounded scores of others Saturday.
Georgia's Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said Russian tanks attempted to advance in the direction of the town of Gori outside South Ossetia, but were turned back by Georgian forces.
Russia struck the town of 50,000, which sits on Georgia's only significant east-west highway, over the weekend.
Georgia began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight Friday with heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that ravaged the provincial capital, Tskhinvali.
Russia, which has developed close ties with the region and granted passports to most of its residents, sent in thousands of troops who launched overwhelming artillery barrage and air attacks on Georgian troops. Heavy Russian shelling drove the Georgian forces out of the provincial capital of Tskhinvali on Sunday.
Saakashvili declared a cease-fire around South Ossetia on Sunday, but Russian officials said Monday that Georgian forces were not observing it.
Russian Maj.-Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov said that Georgian forces continued shelling Russian positions overnight and conducted a bombing run in the area.
Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said Russian ships deployed to Georgia's Black Sea coast on Sunday sank one of four Georgian patrol boats that dangerously approached them and refused to stop, and turned the others back. Georgian Coast Guard chief David Golua dismissed the Russian claim.
US President George W. Bush on Monday sharply criticized Moscow's military crackdown on Georgia, saying the violence is unacceptable and Russia's response is disproportionate. "I've expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn the bombing outside of South Ossetia," Bush said in an interview with NBC Sports.
The violence appeared to show Russian determination to subdue small, US-backed Georgia, even at the risk of international reproach. Russia fended off a wave of international calls to observe Georgia's cease-fire, saying it must first be assured that Georgian forces pull out of the region.
Putin slams US for airlifting Georgian troops from Iraq
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the United States Monday for airlifting Georgian troops from Iraq.
The US military has started flying 2,000 Georgian troops home from Iraq after Georgia recalled them.
Meanwhile, Georgia asked the European Union to freeze strategic partnership talks with Russia unless Moscow halts its military campaign against its small neighbor.
Georgia's EU envoy Salome Samadashvili said the 27-nation bloc must make clear to Moscow there is a price to pay for attacking Georgia. She said the EU should tell the Russians "they risk their future relationship with the European Union."
She said that the EU should halt negotiations on a "strategic partnership deal" with Russia if the country does not stop its military campaign.
EU foreign ministers plan to meet Wednesday. They may also meet with Georgian counterpart Ekaterina Tkeshelashvili, who was due to meet NATO officials Tuesday in Brussels.
Earlier, Russia rejected a cease-fire pledge signed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and proposed by envoys from the European Union.
Saakashvili said he signed the document together with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb.
Nevertheless, a senior general said Russia had no plans to move its troops from Georgia's two breakaway provinces further into Georgian territory.
Deputy chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Russia had no intention of moving deeper into Georgian territory.
It came after swarms of Russian jets launched new raids on Georgian territory and Russia demanded Georgia disarm troops near the breakaway province of Abkhazia.
Georgia had said a Russian general's ultimatum to disarm carried the threat of a Russian offensive in the Abkhazia region. That would be a major escalation in the Russian-Georgian conflict that blew up after a Georgian offensive to regain control of the other breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Georgian troops fled South Ossetia on Sunday, yielding to superior Russian firepower, and Georgian leaders pleaded for a cease-fire. Moscow responded that Georgia was not observing its cease-fire pledge.
International envoys flew into the region late Sunday in an effort to end the conflict before it spreads throughout the Caucasus. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, representing the European Union, said Monday he met Saakashvili and found him "determined to make peace."
Russia's deputy chief of General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said on Russian television that Russia demanded Georgia disarm police in Zugdidi, adjoining Abkhazia, but did not say what would happen if they do not.
Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said earlier that Gen. Sergei Chaban, in charge of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, conveyed a Russian ultimatum for Georgia to disarm via UN military observers in the area.
With most Georgian forces concentrated near South Ossetia, it could be hard for Georgia to repel an Abkhazian offensive.
Abkhazia's Russian-supported separatist government called out the army and reservists on Sunday and declared it would push Georgian forces out of the northern part of the Kodori Gorge, the only area of Abkhazia still under Georgian control.
Chaban said 9,000 additional Russian troops and 350 armored vehicles had arrived in Abkhazia to support Russian peacekeepers there, Russian news reports said. He said Russian forces were also preparing to help disarm Georgian forces in the gorge.
Russian jets hit a radar on the outskirts of the Georgian capital on Monday, bombed an airfield and also targeted the Black Sea port of Poti, inflicting no casualties, Georgian officials said.
Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said that up to 50 Russian jets were roaming Georgian skies all at once as of Monday morning.
Russian officials said the air raids targeted supply lines and military facilities and were not directed at civilians, but one Russian raid on the town of Gori killed over 20 and wounded scores of others Saturday.
Georgia's Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said Russian tanks attempted to advance in the direction of the town of Gori outside South Ossetia, but were turned back by Georgian forces.
Russia struck the town of 50,000, which sits on Georgia's only significant east-west highway, over the weekend.
Georgia began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight Friday with heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that ravaged the provincial capital, Tskhinvali.
Russia, which has developed close ties with the region and granted passports to most of its residents, sent in thousands of troops who launched overwhelming artillery barrage and air attacks on Georgian troops. Heavy Russian shelling drove the Georgian forces out of the provincial capital of Tskhinvali on Sunday.
Saakashvili declared a cease-fire around South Ossetia on Sunday, but Russian officials said Monday that Georgian forces were not observing it.
Russian Maj.-Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov said that Georgian forces continued shelling Russian positions overnight and conducted a bombing run in the area.
Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said Russian ships deployed to Georgia's Black Sea coast on Sunday sank one of four Georgian patrol boats that dangerously approached them and refused to stop, and turned the others back. Georgian Coast Guard chief David Golua dismissed the Russian claim.
US President George W. Bush on Monday sharply criticized Moscow's military crackdown on Georgia, saying the violence is unacceptable and Russia's response is disproportionate. "I've expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn the bombing outside of South Ossetia," Bush said in an interview with NBC Sports.
The violence appeared to show Russian determination to subdue small, US-backed Georgia, even at the risk of international reproach. Russia fended off a wave of international calls to observe Georgia's cease-fire, saying it must first be assured that Georgian forces pull out of the region.