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BUSH WARNS RUSSIA; MEDVEDEV ORDERS HALT TO ACTION
By Matthew Lee
Associated Press
Tuesday August 12 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - With a crisis of Cold War proportions brewing,
President Bush demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from the
former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Hours later, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to the
military action, saying it had brought security for civilians and
Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway South Ossetia region.
"The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant
losses. Its military has been disorganized," Medvedev said Tuesday
in a nationally televised statement.
On Monday, in his strongest comments since the fighting erupted, Bush
told Russia to end a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of violence in
Georgia and accept international mediation to end the crisis.
"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens
a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is
unacceptable in the 21st century," Bush said from the White House just
an hour after he returned to Washington from attending the Olympics
in China.
Bush said Russia's escalation had "raised serious questions about its
intentions in Georgia and the region" and had "substantially damaged
Russia's standing in the world."
Earlier Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili must leave office, and demanded that
Georgian troops stay out of the breakaway South Ossetia region
for good.
A senior U.S. official said Monday that the United States and its
allies suspected Russia had been planning an invasion for some time
and deliberately instigated the conflict through attacks on Georgian
villages by pro-Russian forces in South Ossetia despite outwardly
appealing for calm and promising to rein in the separatists.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal
Bush administration deliberations, said there were numerous "unpleasant
precedents" for the current situation, including the 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan and the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Despite the tough talk in Washington, there was no specific threat of
any consequences Russia might face if it ignores the warnings. American
officials said they were working with U.S. allies in Europe and
elsewhere, as well as with the Russians, to defuse the crisis.
Earlier Monday, the United States and the world's six other largest
economic powers issued a call similar to Bush's for Russia to accept
a truce and agree to mediation as conditions deteriorated and Russian
troops continued their advances into Georgian territory.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her colleagues from the Group
of Seven leading industrialized nations pledged their support for a
negotiated solution to the conflict that has been raging since Friday,
the State Department said.
"We want to see the Russians stand down," deputy State Department
spokesman Robert Wood told reporters. "What we're calling on is for
Russia to stop its aggression."
Rice and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Italy and Japan spoke in a conference call, during which they noted
that Georgia had agreed to a cease-fire and wanted to see Russia sign
on immediately, Wood said.
The G-7 diplomats called on Russia to respect Georgia's borders and
expressed deep concern for civilian casualties. rgent consultations
at the United Nations and NATO were expected, according to Wood.
Wood said the United States was hopeful that the U.N. Security Council
would pass a strong resolution on the fighting that called for an
end to attacks on both sides as well as mediation, but prospects for
such a statement were dim given that Russia wields veto power on the
15-member body.
A senior U.S. diplomat, Matthew Bryza, is now in Tbilisi and is working
with Georgian and European officials on ways to calm the situation.
Meanwhile, the State Department said it has evacuated more than
170 American citizens from Georgia. Wood said two convoys carrying
the Americans, along with family members of U.S. diplomats based in
Georgia, left Tbilisi on Sunday and Monday for neighboring Armenia.
The U.S. Embassy in Georgia has distributed an initial contribution
of $250,000 in humanitarian relief to victims of the fighting and
is providing emergency equipment to people in need, although those
supplies would have run out Monday, the department said.
The Pentagon said it had finished flying some 2,000 Georgian troops
back home from Iraq on C-17 aircraft at Georgia's request.
It said it had informed the Russians about the flights before they
began in order to avoid any mishaps, but Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin harshly criticized the step, saying it would hamper
efforts to resolve the situation by reinforcing Georgian assets in a
"conflict zone."
Wood rejected the criticism, saying, "We're not assisting in any
conflict."
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. flew the
Georgians out of Iraq as part of a prior agreement that transport
would be provided in case of an emergency.
Pentagon officials said Monday that U.S. military was assessing the
fighting every day to determine whether U.S. trainers, who number
less than 100, should be pulled out of the country.
There had been about 130 trainers, including a few dozen civilian
contractors, but the civilians had been scheduled to rotate out of
the country and did so over the weekend, Whitman said. The remaining
uniformed trainers were moved over the weekend to what officials
believe is a safer location, he said.
By Matthew Lee
Associated Press
Tuesday August 12 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - With a crisis of Cold War proportions brewing,
President Bush demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from the
former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Hours later, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to the
military action, saying it had brought security for civilians and
Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway South Ossetia region.
"The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant
losses. Its military has been disorganized," Medvedev said Tuesday
in a nationally televised statement.
On Monday, in his strongest comments since the fighting erupted, Bush
told Russia to end a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of violence in
Georgia and accept international mediation to end the crisis.
"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens
a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is
unacceptable in the 21st century," Bush said from the White House just
an hour after he returned to Washington from attending the Olympics
in China.
Bush said Russia's escalation had "raised serious questions about its
intentions in Georgia and the region" and had "substantially damaged
Russia's standing in the world."
Earlier Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili must leave office, and demanded that
Georgian troops stay out of the breakaway South Ossetia region
for good.
A senior U.S. official said Monday that the United States and its
allies suspected Russia had been planning an invasion for some time
and deliberately instigated the conflict through attacks on Georgian
villages by pro-Russian forces in South Ossetia despite outwardly
appealing for calm and promising to rein in the separatists.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal
Bush administration deliberations, said there were numerous "unpleasant
precedents" for the current situation, including the 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan and the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Despite the tough talk in Washington, there was no specific threat of
any consequences Russia might face if it ignores the warnings. American
officials said they were working with U.S. allies in Europe and
elsewhere, as well as with the Russians, to defuse the crisis.
Earlier Monday, the United States and the world's six other largest
economic powers issued a call similar to Bush's for Russia to accept
a truce and agree to mediation as conditions deteriorated and Russian
troops continued their advances into Georgian territory.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her colleagues from the Group
of Seven leading industrialized nations pledged their support for a
negotiated solution to the conflict that has been raging since Friday,
the State Department said.
"We want to see the Russians stand down," deputy State Department
spokesman Robert Wood told reporters. "What we're calling on is for
Russia to stop its aggression."
Rice and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Italy and Japan spoke in a conference call, during which they noted
that Georgia had agreed to a cease-fire and wanted to see Russia sign
on immediately, Wood said.
The G-7 diplomats called on Russia to respect Georgia's borders and
expressed deep concern for civilian casualties. rgent consultations
at the United Nations and NATO were expected, according to Wood.
Wood said the United States was hopeful that the U.N. Security Council
would pass a strong resolution on the fighting that called for an
end to attacks on both sides as well as mediation, but prospects for
such a statement were dim given that Russia wields veto power on the
15-member body.
A senior U.S. diplomat, Matthew Bryza, is now in Tbilisi and is working
with Georgian and European officials on ways to calm the situation.
Meanwhile, the State Department said it has evacuated more than
170 American citizens from Georgia. Wood said two convoys carrying
the Americans, along with family members of U.S. diplomats based in
Georgia, left Tbilisi on Sunday and Monday for neighboring Armenia.
The U.S. Embassy in Georgia has distributed an initial contribution
of $250,000 in humanitarian relief to victims of the fighting and
is providing emergency equipment to people in need, although those
supplies would have run out Monday, the department said.
The Pentagon said it had finished flying some 2,000 Georgian troops
back home from Iraq on C-17 aircraft at Georgia's request.
It said it had informed the Russians about the flights before they
began in order to avoid any mishaps, but Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin harshly criticized the step, saying it would hamper
efforts to resolve the situation by reinforcing Georgian assets in a
"conflict zone."
Wood rejected the criticism, saying, "We're not assisting in any
conflict."
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. flew the
Georgians out of Iraq as part of a prior agreement that transport
would be provided in case of an emergency.
Pentagon officials said Monday that U.S. military was assessing the
fighting every day to determine whether U.S. trainers, who number
less than 100, should be pulled out of the country.
There had been about 130 trainers, including a few dozen civilian
contractors, but the civilians had been scheduled to rotate out of
the country and did so over the weekend, Whitman said. The remaining
uniformed trainers were moved over the weekend to what officials
believe is a safer location, he said.