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Agence France Presse
Sept 5 2008
Russia backed over Georgia, angry at US ship
MOSCOW (AFP) ' Russia won backing over Georgia on Friday from six
heads of ex-Soviet republics and hit out at the United States for
sending its Mediterranean naval flagship to a key Georgian port where
Russian troops have been patrolling.
The renewed support for Russia from the leaders of a Moscow-dominated
bloc called the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) came as
US Vice President Dick Cheney wrapped up a tour of America's allies in
the region.
Cheney told Ukraine's squabbling leaders they must unite on a
pro-Western course if they wanted to avoid the prospect of a Russian
invasion similar to the one that befell Georgia last month.
"We believe in the right of men and women to live without the threat
of tyranny, economic blackmail or military invasion or
intimidation. Ukraine's best hope to overcome these threats is to be
united," Cheney said in Kiev.
As the war of words between Russia and the United States intensified,
Moscow questioned why Washington had chosen one of its most
sophisticated warships, the USS Mount Whitney, to transport aid to the
Black Sea port of Poti.
The command vessel -- relatively lightly armed -- is the flagship of
the Italy-based US Navy Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
"Naval ships of that class can hardly deliver a large amount of aid,"
foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists,
underlining instead the ship's sophisticated surveillance technology.
But the US State Department rejected the criticism.
"We certainly reject the Russian charges," deputy spokesman Robert
Wood told reporters when asked about Moscow's reaction.
"It's bringing humanitarian supplies, such as, I believe, 4,000
blankets, juice, diapers, hygiene products. There's absolutely no
foundation to this Russian charge," Wood said.
Since bombing Poti last month during the war with Georgia, Russia has
deployed troops at checkpoints near the strategically important port,
who patrol in the town from time to time.
Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into Georgian territory on
August 8 in what it says was a response to a Georgian offensive to
regain control of South Ossetia from Moscow-backed separatists.
Moscow withdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia under a
French-brokered ceasefire agreement, but it has still kept thousands
of troops deployed in the country, saying it needs security guarantees
before it pulls out completely.
Russia last week recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another
breakaway region, as independent states, drawing fierce condemnation
from Georgia and many Western countries.
It had perhaps hoped that the CSTO meeting in Moscow featuring the
leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, would provide a suitable occasion for its allies to follow
suit.
However, some fear such a move could complicate other territorial
disputes in the region and they instead signed a declaration of
support for Russia's actions in Georgia.
Lower-ranking Russian officials have repeatedly accused the United
States of covertly rearming its partner Georgia under cover of aid
deliveries, which Washington has made by sea and air.
In Tbilisi on Thursday, Cheney unveiled a one-billion dollar
(700-million euro) aid package to help reconstruction.
His trip to Georgia coincided with an announcement by the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that it had sent
military observers into a buffer zone between Georgian and Russian
troops for the first time since the conflict.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers began two days of talks to hammer out
details of a European observer mission to Georgia, while admitting
only Russian cooperation would get them into disputed areas.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, attending the talks in Avignon,
southern France, said the mission, which aims to oversee a withdrawal
of Russian troops from Georgian territory, was "practically ready" and
would be completed in 10 days.
Solana said he thought Russia would cooperate with the operation, set
to be deployed from the end of the month in parallel with the OSCE
military mission.
But he admitted there were still fundamental points for French
President Nicolas Sarkozy to resolve when he travels Monday to Moscow
for talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, as holder of
the EU presidency.
The French EU presidency also said both US presidential candidates,
Barack Obama and John McCain, want the European Union to play a bigger
role in world crises.
"Both candidates as well as the current US administration want the EU
to be more politically present in the world," French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner told reporters.
Separately, a US official said the United States would likely scrap a
US-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation pact next week in response to
Moscow's actions in Georgia.
Cheney arrived in Italy late Friday and is to address the Ambrosetti
conference on security and intelligence at the Lake Como resort of
Cernobbio on Saturday, after pledging Washington's "deep and abiding
interest" in Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and slamming Russia's
military actions.
The US vice president is also expressed support for Georgia and
Ukraine becoming eventual members of NATO.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Sept 5 2008
Russia backed over Georgia, angry at US ship
MOSCOW (AFP) ' Russia won backing over Georgia on Friday from six
heads of ex-Soviet republics and hit out at the United States for
sending its Mediterranean naval flagship to a key Georgian port where
Russian troops have been patrolling.
The renewed support for Russia from the leaders of a Moscow-dominated
bloc called the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) came as
US Vice President Dick Cheney wrapped up a tour of America's allies in
the region.
Cheney told Ukraine's squabbling leaders they must unite on a
pro-Western course if they wanted to avoid the prospect of a Russian
invasion similar to the one that befell Georgia last month.
"We believe in the right of men and women to live without the threat
of tyranny, economic blackmail or military invasion or
intimidation. Ukraine's best hope to overcome these threats is to be
united," Cheney said in Kiev.
As the war of words between Russia and the United States intensified,
Moscow questioned why Washington had chosen one of its most
sophisticated warships, the USS Mount Whitney, to transport aid to the
Black Sea port of Poti.
The command vessel -- relatively lightly armed -- is the flagship of
the Italy-based US Navy Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
"Naval ships of that class can hardly deliver a large amount of aid,"
foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists,
underlining instead the ship's sophisticated surveillance technology.
But the US State Department rejected the criticism.
"We certainly reject the Russian charges," deputy spokesman Robert
Wood told reporters when asked about Moscow's reaction.
"It's bringing humanitarian supplies, such as, I believe, 4,000
blankets, juice, diapers, hygiene products. There's absolutely no
foundation to this Russian charge," Wood said.
Since bombing Poti last month during the war with Georgia, Russia has
deployed troops at checkpoints near the strategically important port,
who patrol in the town from time to time.
Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into Georgian territory on
August 8 in what it says was a response to a Georgian offensive to
regain control of South Ossetia from Moscow-backed separatists.
Moscow withdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia under a
French-brokered ceasefire agreement, but it has still kept thousands
of troops deployed in the country, saying it needs security guarantees
before it pulls out completely.
Russia last week recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another
breakaway region, as independent states, drawing fierce condemnation
from Georgia and many Western countries.
It had perhaps hoped that the CSTO meeting in Moscow featuring the
leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, would provide a suitable occasion for its allies to follow
suit.
However, some fear such a move could complicate other territorial
disputes in the region and they instead signed a declaration of
support for Russia's actions in Georgia.
Lower-ranking Russian officials have repeatedly accused the United
States of covertly rearming its partner Georgia under cover of aid
deliveries, which Washington has made by sea and air.
In Tbilisi on Thursday, Cheney unveiled a one-billion dollar
(700-million euro) aid package to help reconstruction.
His trip to Georgia coincided with an announcement by the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that it had sent
military observers into a buffer zone between Georgian and Russian
troops for the first time since the conflict.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers began two days of talks to hammer out
details of a European observer mission to Georgia, while admitting
only Russian cooperation would get them into disputed areas.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, attending the talks in Avignon,
southern France, said the mission, which aims to oversee a withdrawal
of Russian troops from Georgian territory, was "practically ready" and
would be completed in 10 days.
Solana said he thought Russia would cooperate with the operation, set
to be deployed from the end of the month in parallel with the OSCE
military mission.
But he admitted there were still fundamental points for French
President Nicolas Sarkozy to resolve when he travels Monday to Moscow
for talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, as holder of
the EU presidency.
The French EU presidency also said both US presidential candidates,
Barack Obama and John McCain, want the European Union to play a bigger
role in world crises.
"Both candidates as well as the current US administration want the EU
to be more politically present in the world," French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner told reporters.
Separately, a US official said the United States would likely scrap a
US-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation pact next week in response to
Moscow's actions in Georgia.
Cheney arrived in Italy late Friday and is to address the Ambrosetti
conference on security and intelligence at the Lake Como resort of
Cernobbio on Saturday, after pledging Washington's "deep and abiding
interest" in Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and slamming Russia's
military actions.
The US vice president is also expressed support for Georgia and
Ukraine becoming eventual members of NATO.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress