Fireworks over Georgia

[Arpa]

Mexico has also send help to Stalinashvili

Mexican Navy Seals will be stationed in Poti for 5 years

Rare Sighting of Mexican Navy Seal in Poti

What is in that canister? Jalapino pepper spray? Halepino/Aleppo pepper spray, Հալէպի պիպէր?

http://www.chow.com/ingredients/277

Chiles that have been dried and crumbled, either with or without seeds, are a convenient way to season food. Aleppo pepper, which originated in Aleppo, the culinary capital of Syria, is coarsely ground red chiles; it’s gritty, dark red, earthy, robust, and mildly hot with a rich fruity flavor. Korean pepper flakes are used in huge quantities in Korean cooking; these deep red flakes are made from only the flesh of the pepper. Pepe rosso picante, Italian-style crushed red pepper flakes commonly sprinkled on pizzas, include seeds. Piri-piri is a general term for chiles in South Africa, Angola, and parts of India. In powdered form, it’s generally a blend of very hot red chiles. Chipotles and mirasols can also be made into flakes and powders.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Arpa

[MosJan]

 

Russia starts diplomatic relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia

 

Russia will officially announce the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on September 9, the Kommersant newspaper wrote.

 

The issue became the major subject of discussion over the weekend, when S. Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity and his Abkhazian counterpart Sergei Bagapsh visited Moscow for City Day festivities.

 

An official spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia said that the official announcement on the matter would be made Tuesday.

 

“It will happen on Tuesday when Abkhazia and Russia exchange adequate notes. The construction of the embassy will start soon afterwards,” an official from the government of Abkhazia said.

 

Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26. Russia, Nicaragua, the unrecognized republic of Nagorny Artsax and the radical Islamic movement of Hamas, which many states see as a terrorist organization, have recognized the independence of the two republics so far.

 

It is worthy of note that many Western leaders expressed their regret in connection with Dmitry Medvedev’s landmark decision. Francesco Cossiga, a 80-year-old former President of Italy is the only politician so far who has expressed an open support of the Kremlin’s decision.

 

Abkhazia’s Sergei Bagapsh stated earlier that several other countries were also ready to recognize his nation, although the president did not name any of them. According to experts’ estimates, Venezuela, Cuba and probably Turkey may recognize Abkhazia.

 

 

[MosJan]

News Send to friend | Print version http://www.russiatoday.com/media/news/b/48c4f7ce653b5.jpgNicolas Sarkozy (AFP Photo / John Thys) September 8, 2008, 15:10

Sarkozy in Moscow to pave way for peace in the Caucasus

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in Moscow to discuss the road map for the Russian-Georgian dispute and look at ways to establish lasting peace after the military conflict in South Ossetia last month. Later in the day he is expected to fly to Tbilisi. Sarkozy is accompanied by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and the EU's top diplomat, Javier Solana, to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

 

Last week Medvedev and Sarkozy had a telephone conversation in which the leaders discussed the agenda of the upcoming meeting. During the conversation the presidents also exchanged views on the results of the EU summit, which was held in Brussels on September 1. The Russian side noted the “constructive role of France, which is presiding over the EU, in adopting a generally balanced position."

 

Russia then expressed regret that the document adopted at the summit "did not contain principal assessments of Georgia's aggressive actions as the original cause of the crisis around South Ossetia and Abkhazia."

 

Sources in the Elysee Palace have said that, at the Moscow meeting, France wants guarantees from Russia over the withdrawal of the remaining Russian troops in Georgia, under the fifth clause of the Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan.

 

"The major goal is to try to set concrete dates, reach agreements, which guarantee the complete withdrawal of Russian forces, which are remaining in Georgia," French sources said, adding that Russian troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not under discussion.

 

Sarkozy also intends to agree on a date and a venue to launch international discussions to ensure security and stability in Abkhazia and South Ossetia under the sixth clause of the settlement plan.

 

European observers in South Ossetia

 

Also up for debate is the possible deployment of an enlarged mission of OSCE civil observers in the conflict area, EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana told reporters on Saturday.

 

Currently 20 European observers are staying in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict area. The OSCE is planning to increase sharply their number to about 200 people. Solana noted that new observers could only go to the region with the permission of the Russian authorities.

 

Georgians pray for future in the wake of war

 

Hundreds of Georgian orthodox believers came to church at the main avenue of Tbilisi on Sunday to light candles and pray for their future in uncertain times.

 

Exactly one month after the conflict started, Georgians are still struggling to come to terms with their new reality and question the future security of their country.

 

Meanwhile, President Sarkozy and the EU delegation will head to the Georgian capital Tbilisi after their visit to Moscow.

[MosJan]

News Send to friend | Print version http://www.russiatoday.com/media/news/b/48c527fdbf8eb.jpg September 8, 2008, 17:22

Belarus may recognise new republics after elections

Russia's western neighbour Belarus will discuss the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after a new parliament is elected at the end of the month, according to its president Aleksandr Lukashenko. Parliamentary elections are due to be held in Belarus, a close ally of Russia, on 27 September.

 

President Lukashenko added that Belarus has always had strong ties with Abkhazia, and pointed out that the links between the two countries were not simply an extension of good relations with Russia.

 

 

[MosJan]

Ossetian War Send to friend | Print version http://www.russiatoday.com/media/news/7/48c42fca428b4.jpgAFP Photo / Victor Drachev September 7, 2008, 22:44

Witnesses reveal 'Georgian atrocities'

The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office has provided non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with the first details from the inquiry into alleged war crimes by Georgian forces in South Ossetia between August 7 and 12. All the data below has been provided by the Investigation Commission of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office.

 

RT reproduces the information as part of a joint project with the Investigation Commission to make the information available.

 

Investigators collected more than 4,000 statements from people who claim they were victims of physical, material and moral attack as a result of the Georgian assault on South Ossetia.

 

The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office says Georgia’s military actions amounted to an attempt to ethnically cleanse the region of South Ossetians.

 

Witness accounts

 

The following statements were submitted to the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office by witnesses.

 

 

Larisa Khugayeva: “Georgian soldiers finished off the wounded and took prisoners from the civil population.”

 

 

Amiran Goyayev: “The Georgian army fired grenades into the basements where civilians were hiding, fired at those running away, ruined a wooden church in the village of Khetagurovo where people had found shelter”.

 

 

Artem Gobozov: “A car exploded in Tskhinval after being shot at with a self-propelled rocket launch system. The driver Yaroslav Valiyev and the passengers who were in the car with him were killed.”

 

 

Vyacheslav Gagloyev: “I saw soldiers of the Georgian army shoot dead Atsamat Gagloyev and Nuzgar Kozoyev and then cut their throats.”

 

 

Zhanna Safonova: “On August 7 the shelling started. It came from the Georgian village of Kekhvi. My friend Marina Chochieva and her children were shot on the Zar road by Georgian troops. All the people in the car were killed… I saw a lot of dead civilians in the hospitals of Tskhinval, including children.”

 

 

Lyudmila Tasoyeva: “A car carrying people was shot at by Georgians in Tskhinval. The family in the car, parents with two children, were still alive. Gasoline was poured over the car and it was set on fire".

 

 

Vali Bestayeva: “Georgian soldiers raped seven young women and then burned them alive in the village of Tsunari.”

 

 

Mikhail Tomayev: “On August 8 the mass shelling of Tskhinval started. Georgian troops entered the city and killed a pregnant woman who was running away. They stormed basements and killed civilians hiding there.”

 

 

Larisa Begayeva: “On August 8, at around 9am, Georgian tanks entered Tskhinval from near the Georgian village of Nikozi. They started to run over people who were running across a field, including women, children and old people. Some civilians hid in the church on Komarov street, and the Georgians, having seen that, blew up the building. All the people inside the church were killed.”

 

 

Findings of the investigation

 

The inquiry has established that 52 Russian peacekeepers were killed as a result of the Georgian army’s attack. Thirteen are missing and 229 are wounded.

 

A further 755 people were taken to hospitals in South Ossetia, five of them died later. Apartment buildings, schools, public buildings and infrastructure were destroyed in the city of Tskhinval and the villages of Khetagurovo, Dmenis, Sarabuk, Tbet, Zar, Rustav, Znaur, Didmukha, Ubiat, Mugrut, Arknet, Bekmar, Velit and Leningor.

 

The inquiry’s conclusions were reached after more than 600 observation missions to residential areas. A further 12 observation missions were made to Georgian firing positions and sites where peacekeeping forces operated. Many of these sites contained destroyed Russian and Georgian military equipment.

 

More than 5,000 items and documents have been collected as evidence of criminal actions by Georgian forces. These include military maps dealing with mass shelling of Ossetian residential areas.

 

 

[MosJan]

Ossetian War Send to friend | Print version http://www.russiatoday.com/media/news/d/48c469120865d.jpgChildren from South Ossetia in a refugee camp (AFP Photo / Natalia Kolesnikova) September 8, 2008, 3:47

Revealed: the bias of Western NGOs in South Ossetia

A senior Russian human rights official has spoken out against attempts by Western NGOs to downplay the number of casualties in the 5-day battle for Tskhinval. Public Chamber member and Director of the Moscow Human Rights Bureau, Alexander Brod, says groups such as Human Rights Watch were in no position to make an objective assessment of war casualties. In this interview conducted by Ossetia Info, a media body set up to publish information on the region, Alexander Brod explains how most Western NGOs report events from a Georgian perspective.

 

What is your reaction to claims by international human rights groups that just 40 bodies were found in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinval?

 

A.B.: The international observers have been very passive in their investigation of the South Ossetian crisis. Most of them took a position of non-interference while the others showed a one-sided approach, convenient only to the Georgian side. They ignored facts like mass killings, war crimes, the devastation of Tskhinval, the attempt to rub the whole republic from the face of Earth. I don’t know how they calculated that 40 people had been killed. Neither us, nor the South Ossetian authorities have seen any representatives of Human Rights Watch there. When we were in Tskhuinval we saw a demolished city with bodies lying in the rubble. There were hundreds of victims.

 

Of course, the international observers must pay attention to the situation in Georgia. There were victims amongst civilians there. But there were no mass executions like in South Ossetia. That was just the reaction of Russian peacekeeping forces on the war crimes of the Georgian army. The Russian soldiers aimed at Georgian firing points and military bases. This is war and some civilian buildings were destroyed, people were injured. We know of several deaths among Georgian civilians. But it doesn’t mean that the human rights organizations don’t have to assist in protecting the rights of Georgian citizens affected by the war or to help in repairing their homes.

 

What problems do such statements cause to Russia’s Public Chamber?

 

A.B.: The main problem is the gathering of eyewitness evidence that would make the people responsible for the massacre appear before the court and answer for what they have done. The main task of the human rights organizations in such cases is to be objective and protect all victims, not depending on the nationality and citizenship. I think that Russia’s Public Chamber acted with maximum tact and objectivity, which can’t be said about the representatives of foreign agencies.

 

What is your reaction to Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states?

 

A.B.: This was inevitable. The citizens of both republics have made their choice long ago. There were referendums, which showed that South Ossetia and Abkhazia want to be independent and act together with Russia.

 

Now after all the war crimes the republics do not have the resources to rebuild their cities and villages on their own because their economies were destroyed. It’s obvious that they don’t have a future with Georgia. When they came up with the proposition to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian MPs and senators studied the international law and all the Russian legal acts from the period of the collapse of Soviet Union, which say that Georgia had to give the right for self-determination to the republics. But Georgia never did so. I think that Russia has made a right move because South Ossetia and Abkhazia suffered from their status as ‘breakaway republics’, experiencing economical difficulties and isolation from the world.

 

I think that some other states will now follow Russia’s example, but everybody understand that the process of recognition will be long and difficult. Russia is now criticized a lot. But now the main task for us is to collect as much evidence of war crimes as possible and explain to the world what has happened in South Ossetia. I am sure that in the end a lot of states will realize that Russia’s position in this conflict was right and that South Ossetia and Georgia should be parted from Georgia.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Russia ready to cut NATO ties if Georgia joins membership plan

18:36 | 08/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif BRUSSELS, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia may sever all ties with NATO if the Western military alliance grants Georgia entry into the Membership Action Plan (MAP), Russia's NATO envoy said on Monday.

 

NATO refused at its summit in April to let Georgia and Ukraine into MAP, a key step for membership in the 26-nation alliance, but promised to review the decision in December. The countries had received strong U.S. backing for their bids.

 

"It is one thing to fuss around a U.S. protege [Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili], but quite another to give shelter to an aggressive state. In such circumstances there could be no question of cooperation," Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti.

 

The envoy said that from a moral and political standpoint, NATO's acceptance of Georgia would be tantamount to siding with an aggressor.

 

Top U.S. officials including Vice President Dick Cheney have stepped up calls for Georgia to join NATO since Russia's military operation in the country, which followed Georgia's August 8 artillery attack on breakaway South Ossetia. Russia concluded its 'peace enforcement' operation in Georgia on August 12 and later recognized South Ossetia, along with breakaway Abkhazia, as independent countries, while ceasing to recognize Saakashvili as Georgia's leader.

 

Last month NATO said it refused to rule out the possibility of Georgia joining the military alliance in the future.

 

"I think that the Bucharest communique stands. The allies have said in Bucharest that one day Georgia will join NATO," Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a news conference following NATO talks with Georgia in Brussels.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Gorbachev says NATO growth aimed at isolating Russia

21:48 | 08/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif MADRID, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said that calls from the U.S. and other Western powers to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO are purely aimed at isolating Russia.

 

"Why does NATO need these countries? To fight against Iran? This is just ridiculous," Gorbachev told Spanish agency EFE.

 

NATO refused at its summit in April to let Georgia and Ukraine into MAP, a key step for membership in the 26-nation alliance, but promised to review the decision in December. The countries had received strong U.S. backing for their bids.

 

In their drive to bring the post-Soviet countries into the alliance, Western powers are trying to "lock Russia in," he said.

 

He also said that in the U.S. there are "certain circles who are pushing the country toward confrontation and NATO expansion, to earn large amounts of money from the production of new armaments," and that the world now faces the threat of a "return to geopolitical games."

 

He voiced concern that Western nations saw the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia as "aggression on the part of Russia."

 

Russia "does not want to command" the world, but is "fulfilling its international obligations, while avoiding illegal games," Gorbachev said.

 

 

[MosJan]

Bush cancels civilian nuclear deal with Russia

 

 

 

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago

 

WASHINGTON - In a pointed but mostly symbolic expression of displeasure with Moscow, President Bush on Monday canceled a once-celebrated civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia.

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Bush had sent the agreement to Congress for approval in May, after a much-heralded signing by the two nations that capped two years of tough negotiations. On Monday, he officially pulled it back, a move announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

 

"We make this decision with regret," said Rice, in a statement read by spokesman Sean McCormack. "Unfortunately, given the current environment, the time is not right for this agreement."

 

The action combines with a recently announced $1 billion foreign aid package for tiny, West-leaning Georgia and the time Vice President Dick Cheney spent last week railing against Russia in its backyard to form the U.S. administration's punishment of Moscow for its invasion of Georgia. The nuclear deal was highly unlikely to win approval on Capitol Hill this year anyway, but Bush decided to actively withdraw it to make a loud statement.

 

Moscow, though, might not be much inclined to hear it.

 

Newly flush with riches from sales of its vast energy resources, Russia appears to feel it no longer has as much need for the potentially billions in revenue the deal would have provided it by allowing Moscow to establish a lucrative business as the center for the import and storage of spent nuclear fuel from American-supplied reactors around the world. The Russian Embassy in Washington said there would be no comment on Bush's action.

 

The deal's disappearance hampers some important global goals for Bush. It would have given Washington access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology, while helping it address climate change by increasing civilian nuclear energy use worldwide and keeping nuclear material out of terrorists' hands.

 

"The U.S. non-proliferation goals contained in the agreement remain valid: to provide a sound basis for U.S.-Russian civilian nuclear cooperation, create commercial opportunities and enhance cooperation with Russia on important global non-proliferation issues," said Rice.

 

But in a sign of the almost Cold War-like state of U.S.-Russia relations right now, Bush determined the extensive and unprecedented cooperation spelled out in the agreement is no longer in the national security interests of the United States.

 

Neither Rice nor McCormack would discuss whether the Georgia invasion was the impetus for the decision but Bush was blunt. He said in the formal notice to Congress that he was withdrawing the deal "in view of recent actions by the government of the Russian Federation incompatible with peaceful relations with its sovereign and democratic neighbor Georgia."

 

One advantage of pulling the deal rather than allowing it to die on Capitol Hill as it surely would have is that it now remains effectively on ice. The president — or his successor — could determine the deal is once again in U.S. interests and resubmit it for approval. Bush signaled this by saying the administration will resubmit the agreement if circumstances, which he did not specify, "should permit."

 

Key lawmakers were suspicious of the deal from the start, fearing it could undermine U.S. efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program, because of Russia's extensive business and energy — including nuclear — ties with Tehran.

 

After the disastrous Georgia-Russia war, the deal's outlook became even more grim, with some lawmakers asking Bush to pull it to show Moscow its actions wouldn't be tolerated. There also isn't enough time left in the fall legislative calendar for the required review period to run out — the kind of scenario that would result in it taking effect without congressional action.

 

The Georgia-Russia fighting began Aug. 7 when Georgia's military tried to re-establish control over its breakaway, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia. Russia joined the battle, brutally repelled the Georgian offensive and then pushed deep into Georgia proper, where many of its forces remain nearly a month later.

 

Further inviting international condemnation, Moscow has recognized South Ossetia and Georgia's other separatist province of Abkhazia as independent states.

 

Administration officials determined almost immediately that Russia must suffer some consequences for its bloody use of force in a sovereign, Western-allied neighbor, but wanted to take punitive measures in concert with Europe. They have been frustrated, though, at the lack of similar resolve among allies, who have offered criticism of Russia but little else.

 

There may be more actions to come from Washington.

 

The $1 billion economic recovery package for Georgia puts the impoverished Black Sea nation in the top tier of U.S foreign aid recipients. Though it does not include any military aid, U.S. officials have indicated some will probably be added in the future.

 

The U.S. had been helping the Georgian military modernize and it is likely the U.S. will help the Georgian forces rebuild again after their near-total rout by Russia. That effort could be given more punch — and will likely be greeted angrily in Moscow — if Washington agrees to start selling sophisticated anti-aircraft and anti-tank military hardware to Georgia.

 

Moscow has already accused the U.S. of instigating or even helping Georgia make its ill-fated incursion into South Ossetia.

[MosJan]

Georgia, Russia

Argue Their Cases

Before Hague Tribunal ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 9, 2008

THE HAGUE -- Georgia accused Russia of a "campaign of harassment and persecution" in the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as it urged the International Court of Justice to intervene to halt killings and forced expulsions.

 

Russia called the case "nonsense" and said the court has no jurisdiction.

 

The case opened a legal front in the battle between Georgia and Russia for control of the regions, and it began as French President Nicolas Sarkozy led a European Union delegation to Moscow for talks aimed at easing the standoff.

 

Georgia accuses Russian forces, local militias and mercenaries of conducting a campaign of murder, forced displacement and attacks on towns and villages that started in the early 1990s and culminated in last month's brief war.

 

Ethnic Georgians "are being forced out of their homes by a campaign of harassment and persecution," Tina Burjaliani, Georgia's first deputy minister of justice, told the court. Georgia claims the campaign has left thousands of civilians dead and has forced more than 300,000 from their homes.

 

Ms. Burjaliani accused Russia of trying to undermine Georgia's independence "through a policy of divide and conquer...that has ripped apart its delicate multiethnic culture."

 

Russia accuses Georgia of crimes against humanity for launching a massive attack last month on South Ossetia, killing Russian peacekeepers and dozens of civilians. Moscow says its actions since have been aimed at protecting its civilians. Before the war, Russia had given passports to many residents of South Ossetia, even though it is part of Georgia.

 

Outside the courtroom, Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands, Kirill Gevorgian, dismissed Georgia's case as "nonsense." "The whole problem in Ossetia, in Abkhazia, is discrimination of Ossetians and Abkhazians by Georgia," he said. "The line of Russia is to try to help the situation to keep the peace, to prevent the discrimination."

 

Moscow's lead lawyer, Roman Kolodkin, expressed regret for all victims of the conflict. But he told the judges that the court "manifestly has no jurisdiction" and said Georgia had produced no evidence to support its claim of ethnic cleansing.

 

Russian leaders have bristled at the West for failing to condemn what they describe as Georgian "aggression" and indiscriminate killing of civilians, and have threatened to prosecute Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as a war criminal.

 

Weeks after a cease-fire was approved, Russian troops remain entrenched deep inside Georgian territory. The dispute has plunged relations between Moscow and the West to near Cold War levels of animosity.

 

The 15-judge tribunal, unofficially known as the World Court, will likely take years to deal with Georgia's case, which accuses Russia of breaching the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

 

"This is an extreme form of racial discrimination," said James Crawford, a lawyer for Georgia. "There has been burning of houses, murder of civilians, looting of property and forced expulsions on a scale that surpasses the darkest moments of the civil war of 1991-92." He said that 10% of Georgia's population has been displaced.

 

After three days of hearings, judges must decide whether they have jurisdiction before mulling whether to impose any immediate measures to safeguard civilians. Even if they do, it is unclear whether Russia will comply, and the court has no way of enforcing its decisions.

 

Mr. Kolodkin said Russia and Georgia had no dispute under the convention and therefore the court lacked jurisdiction. "The Russian Federation requests this court to declare it has no jurisdiction [and] to reject the request for provisional measures," he said.

 

Copyright © 2008 Associated Press

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Georgian leader welcomes new deal on Russian pullout

11:48 | 09/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif TBILISI, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili gave a cautious welcome on Tuesday to a new deal on the withdrawal of Russian forces from the South Caucasus state.

 

Under the agreement, brokered by the EU on Monday, Russia has pledged to pull all troops out of the undisputed parts of Georgia within one month, leaving peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow has recognized as independent countries.

 

Saakashvili called the new deal "a step forward," but said a long-term agreement would have to be reached "respecting Georgia's territorial integrity and the principle of justice for our country and for our region."

 

"Georgia will never concede any part of its territory, and will continue its peaceful battle to unite the country," he said at a news briefing with French President Nicolas Sarkozy after signing the agreement in the early hours of Tuesday.

 

Saakashvili, clutching a copy of the agreement, also said that Georgia, in launching a ground and air attack on Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, was responding to "a large-scale Russian invasion that took place before the hostilities emerged."

 

"We can prove this," he said.

 

Russia says hundreds of civilians and a number of its peacekeepers were killed in Tskhinvali during Georgia's August 8 attack. Thousands were also forced to flee the region.

 

Sarkozy, who holds the European Union presidency, drew up the withdrawal plan with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow in a bid to salvage a six-point peace deal signed last month, which Russia and Georgia have accused each other of violating.

 

Under the new plan, the EU will deploy at least 200 observers in the 'buffer zone' near South Ossetia and Abkhazia by October 1. Within 10 days of their deployment, Russia will pull all its forces out of the country, on the condition that Georgia signs a legally binding pledge not to use force against the republics.

 

Sarkozy said on Monday that said the new deal should open the way for a resumption of Russia-EU talks on a new strategic partnership deal.

 

If the new plan is fully implemented, "there is no reason why meetings between Russia and Europe, postponed from September, cannot be resumed in October," he said.

 

The EU postponed partnership talks in protest against Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states and its military presence in Georgia, which followed Tbilisi's attack on South Ossetia.

 

Medvedev said Russia will not go back on its decision to recognize the regions.

 

"We made this choice ourselves. It is final and irreversible," he said.

 

However, he said international discussions on the provinces' status would go ahead, as stipulated in a peace deal brokered by Sarkozy last month.

 

"International discussions stipulated in point six of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan signed on August 12, 2008, will begin on October 15, 2008, in Geneva," he said.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

CNN fabricates reports about Georgia and South Ossetia

 

Russia Today TV channel journalists, who worked in the city of Tskhinvali, accuse CNN of forgery in the coverage of the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia, RIA Novosti reports.

 

The statement was made Monday by a correspondent of Russia Today, Nikolai Baranov, during a round table discussion devoted to the recent events in the Caucasus.

 

“Our crew was making a report about Tskhinvali ruined by the Georgian army. We particularly were filming the University of South Ossetia. We were very surprised and indignant to see this footage on CNN presented as the Georgian town of Gori, which the Russian army supposedly attacked. We still have the original video material of Tskhinvali in ruins. The footage aired by CNN has been forged and fabricated,” Baranov said.

 

CNN also used the footage from the Kodori Gorge of Abkhazia to show it as a report from Gori, the journalist added.

 

TV journalist Alexander Minakov, who analyzed the coverage of the conflict by the Western media, particularly by US channels, said that Georgia’s war in South Ossetia had struck a catastrophic blow on their reputation. US TV channels cast a veil on events in an armed conflict and even fabricated their reports at times, like CNN did.

 

“The Western media were involved in a special operation titled “Russia’s Aggression,” the journalist concluded.

 

An official representing the Moscow department of CNN said that the TV company had not taken any efforts to fabricate its reports. “There might have been a mistake in the preparation of the reports in question,” he said.

 

Maksim Bobrov, a First Channel correspondent, said that the Georgian government ordered to cut the broadcast of all Russian channels in Georgia and blocked access to the .ru zone of the Internet.

 

“They did not let our crew cooperate with Georgia’s Rustavi-2 channel to report the situation in Tbilisi. The Georgian media presented the desertion of Georgian troops as the retreat of the Russian military,” he said.

 

 

[MosJan]

News Send to friend | Print version http://www.russiatoday.com/media/news/0/48c63cf7bc048.jpgAFP Photo DDP / Axel Schmidt September 9, 2008, 12:39

Saakashvili lied once again – Russian FM

Mikhail Saakashvili’s claims are a blatant lie, according to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who spoke to journalists in Moscow ahead of a meeting regarding the establishment of diplomatic ties with his counterparts from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. “At yesterday’s press-conference Mr. Saakashvili told a blatant lie in the presence of both the French President and the EU chairman. He once again stated that Russia began the war leading to the subsequent occupation, not Georgia”.

 

“The document signed by both the Russian and French president states that international discussions on the conflict will start on October 15th. The participants in the talks are not listed in the documents, but we have made it clear that both South Ossetia and Abkhazia must have fully-fledged roles in the discussions. The security and stability of the region are set to top the agenda,” Lavrov said.

 

To watch Sergey Lavrov’s press-conference in full follow the link.

 

The Russian FM also stated that the EU will take the role of guaranteeing that Georgia does not use further force, while OSCE military observers will be deployed only around South Ossetia.

 

According to Lavrov, Russia is already finalizing the legal base for relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Furthermore, Lavrov said that Russia’s recognition of the two countries is ‘final and irreversible’. However he went on to say that Russian representation in future international missions around Abkhazia and South Ossetia is not crucial.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Ukraine to close radar station used by Russia

19:13 | 09/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif KIEV, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine is to shut down a radar facility in the west of the country currently being used by Russia, a national space agency official said on Tuesday.

 

Deputy General Director Eduard Kuznetsov said the agency will continue using an early-warning attack station based in Sevastopol, Crimea, but would close the Mukachevo facility following Moscow's decision to stop using it.

 

Russia terminated an agreement on the use of both radars (Sevastopol and Mukachevo) in February 2008 on the grounds that they are operationally obsolete. Kiev called Moscow's move unfriendly.

 

The two radar facilities allow Ukraine to track missile launches at a distance of up to 1,500 kilometers.

 

Kiev has not ruled out that once the radars are no longer used by Russia that they could be used "in the interest of EU countries."

 

Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an accompanying tracking radar in the Czech Republic as a threat to its national security.

 

The Kremlin has also expressed concern over NATO's expansion to Russia's borders and pledged to take "appropriate measures."

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Russia says no plans to reopen radar base in Cuba

16:49 | 09/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is not planning to reopen a radar base at the Lourdes facility in Cuba, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday.

 

"This matter is not under consideration," Sergei Lavrov told reporters at a joint news conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik.

 

The electronic monitoring and surveillance facility near Havana at Torrens, also known as the Lourdes facility, the largest Russian SIGINT (signal intelligence) site abroad, was shut down in October 2001 by then-president Vladimir Putin.

 

The facility, which covered a 28 square-mile area, was manned by around 1,000-1,500 Russian engineers, technicians, and military personnel.

 

The complex was capable of monitoring a wide array of commercial and government communications throughout the southeastern United States, and between the U.S. and Europe.

 

Lourdes intercepted transmissions from microwave towers in the United States, communication satellite downlinks, and a wide range of shortwave and high-frequency radio transmissions.

 

Russia reportedly paid Cuba an annual rent of $200-million to use the facility.

 

Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an accompanying tracking radar in the Czech Republic as a threat to its national security. The Kremlin has also expressed concern over NATO's expansion to Russia's borders and pledged to take "appropriate measures."

 

Some Russian military experts earlier suggested that Moscow could consider resuming its military presence in Cuba, including at the Lourdes facility, in response to growing military-political pressure from the West.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Russia denies civilian casualties in airstrikes on Tbilisi

15:34 | 09/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Airstrikes on military facilities in Tbilisi delivered by the Russian Air Force during the recent conflict with Georgia did not harm local residents, a senior Russian military official said on Tuesday.

 

Russia's five-day operation in Georgia followed Tbilisi's August 8 ground and air attack against South Ossetia, which Russia later recognized as an independent state.

 

"We delivered airstrikes at an airfield located 25 kilometers south of Tbilisi and a pinpointed airstrike at an aircraft-manufacturing plant in Tbilisi, which local residents could not even feel," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, told a news briefing with over 100 foreign ambassadors and military attaches in Moscow.

 

The general said the Russian military decided to strike these facilities in order to prevent further attacks by Georgian aircraft against Russian peacekeeping positions.

 

Russia said on September 3 that 71 Russian peacekeepers were killed and 340 wounded during Georgia's attack on South Ossetia.

 

 

[MosJan]

Ex-Georgian leader's son on hunger strike after arrest

15:34 | 09/ 09/ 2008

 

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TBILISI, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - The son of Georgia's first post-Soviet president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, has entered the fifth day of a hunger strike in protest at his arrest on suspicion of spying for Russia, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

 

Tsotne Gamsakhurdia was arrested at Tbilisi Airport on September 3 and remanded in custody for two months prior to trial. He has been charged with spying for Russia, an attempted coup and grievous bodily harm.

 

"Mr. Gamsakhurdia considers his arrest illegal and is demanding to be released and an unbiased investigation. He announced a hunger strike on September 4 in protest," Ketevan Bekauri said.

 

If found guilty of the charges, Gamsakhurdia could face up to 20 years in jail.

 

The allegations are based on audio and video recordings made during meetings between Gamsakhurdia and Russian diplomats, who were later expelled from Georgia. Gamsakhurdia claims the meetings were related to the transfer and subsequent reburial of his father's remains from the Russian Republic of Chechnya to Georgia last year.

 

In addition prosecutors also have a taped telephone conversation made in November 2007 between a Georgian opposition leader and Gamsakhurdia, where he calls for a coup during mass public protests in the country.

[MosJan]

 

Russia says Abkhazia, S.Ossetia must join talks on their status

13:20 | 09/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia insists that Abkhazia and South Ossetia be invited to take part in international talks in Geneva on their status, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced after talks with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy and EU officials near Moscow on Monday that international discussions on the future status of the two republics, which Russia has recognized as independent states, would begin on October 15, 2008, in Geneva.

 

"Participants in the talks are not listed in the documents, but we have made it clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia must have an equal role in the discussions," Lavrov said.

 

Russia's top diplomat also said the meeting would focus on ways to ensure security and stability in the region.

 

Point six of the Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan, hammered out in Moscow on August 12, envisages the start of international discussions on the future status for South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with his counterparts from the two republics later on Tuesday on establishing diplomatic relations. They will also discuss a series of draft bilateral agreements between Russia and South Ossetia and Russia and Abkhazia on friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance.

 

During his visit on Monday to the Russian capital, Sarkozy was accompanied by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The officials said the EU would act as a guarantor of peace in Georgia.

 

"We will continue honoring what we signed," Lavrov told reporters. "We expect that now that the European Union has agreed to act as a guarantor for Georgia, Tbilisi will also honor its commitments," Lavrov told reporters.

 

Lavrov also said that OSCE and UN observers would remain in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and that another 100 OSCE observers would soon be deployed to the buffer zone around South Ossetia.

 

He added that by assuming legal guarantees and sending observers to the region, the European Union was sending a clear signal to the Georgian authorities that responsibility for the republics "lies with the EU, as well as the OSCE and the UN."

 

"Any provocations from now on will be provocations against the European Union," he said.

 

After talks in Moscow, Sarkozy, Barroso, and Solana headed to Tbilisi, where Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili gave a cautious welcome early on Tuesday to the new deal they brought with them on the withdrawal of Russian forces from the South Caucasus state.

 

Under the agreement, Russia has pledged to pull all troops out of the undisputed parts of Georgia within one month, leaving peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

The current crisis began when Georgian forces launched a ground and air attack on the town of Tskhinvali, the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, on August 8. Most of the residents of the republic hold Russian citizenship, and Russia subsequently launched an operation to "force Georgia to accept peace."

 

Two weeks after the conclusion of the operation, Russian recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, despite warnings by Western leaders not to do so. So far, only Nicaragua has followed suit, although Belarus seems likely to do so later this month.

 

Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia split away from Georgia in the early 1990s. Thousands were killed in the ensuing conflicts.

 

 

[DominO123]

Artsakh should recognize their independence, it does not have the same problems Armenia has there..., Abkhazia and S.Ossetia may just as well react by recognizing Artsakh.

[MosJan]

 

Georgia’s opposition buries Saakashvili’s regime

The truce between official authorities of Georgia and its opposition is over. Some parties urge the nation to unite to create new Georgia. Others say that the country will have no future under Saakashvili regime. Many Georgian politicians say that the country must return to the Russian Internet, to refuse from the NATO integration and elect a new president.

 

Several opposition parties of Georgia have turned down the Charter of Georgian Politicians introduced by the Georgian government. The document touches upon the issues of retrieving the territorial integrity of the nation, withdrawing Russian troops, joining NATO and taking a direct course aimed at the European integration. The parties do not protest against the document per se. They protest against the fact that it was originally submitted by Mikhail Saakashvili.

 

“We are not going to sign any document together with the government. The only document that we will sign is the dismissal of the government,” Kaha Dzaganiya, a member of the Labor Part of Georgia said.

 

The leader of the Labor Party, Shalva Natelasvili, offered the government of Georgia to step down at its own will.

 

“The incumbent government must step down. It must happen without any actions or manifestations of protest. The government must realize that its own dismissal will let the country come out of the crisis and save the nation,” he said.

 

“The new political force that will come to power in Georgia must strive to develop normal relations with both the United States and the Russian Federation. In the future, Georgia must conduct the policy of non-alignment, which does not mean a complete renunciation of NATO. It means that Georgia will be able to join the political organization of NATO, but not the military structure of NATO,” Shalva Natelasvili said.

 

The leader of the Republican Party of Georgia, Levan Berdzenishvili, was very disappointed by the fact that Georgia had been cut off from accessing Russian websites.

 

“I don’t like it when some Yakobashvili [Georgia’s Minister for Reintegration] forbids me to visit Russian websites. Why would he forbid this to me? Which law says that it is possible in Georgia?” Georgia’s Republican leader said.

 

Kaha Kukava, one of the leaders of the United Opposition of Georgia, accused Saakashvili of high treason to preserve his personal power.

 

David Gamkrelidze, the leader of Georgia’s right-wing forces, said that Mikhail Saakashvili does not have a moral right to be the nation’s president and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

 

 

[MosJan]

 

Four NATO warships leaving Black Sea

21:09 | 10/ 09/ 2008 http://img.rian.ru/i/b_print.gif MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - NATO said Wednesday four of its warships were leaving the Black Sea in line with a previously drawn up schedule.

 

"The Standing NATO Maritime Group One [sNMG 1] successfully completed its planned visit and is leaving the Black Sea today," NATO said.

 

The ships had been in the Black Sea since August 21, arriving nine days after the conclusion of armed hostilities between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia. Russia expressed concern over the fact that NATO ships were in the area, but the North Atlantic alliance responded that the exercises had been planned a year ago.

 

The current crisis began when Georgian forces attacked breakaway South Ossetia on August 8, triggering a Russian operation to "force Georgia to peace." Most residents of South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, have Russian citizenship.

 

Russia then recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26.

 

Western nations strongly criticized Russia for its "disproportionate" response to Georgia's attack, and its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. So far only Nicaragua has followed suit, but Belarus looks likely to do so later this month.

 

Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s amid bloody conflicts which claimed thousands of lives.

 

 

[MosJan]

Russian strategic bombers land in Venezuela

21:58 | 10/ 09/ 2008

 

Print version

 

MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers have landed at a military airfield in Venezuela, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

 

The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.

 

The bombers will conduct a number of training flights over neutral waters in the next few days and later return to their home base in Russia, the ministry said in a statement.

 

The planes landed at Venezuela's Libertador airfield and during the flight to the South American country were accompanied by NATO fighters.

 

"The flight itinerary extended over neutral waters in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The Russian bombers were accompanied by NATO fighters," the statement said.

 

Russia earlier announced it would send a naval task force from the Northern Fleet on a tour of duty in the Atlantic Ocean and participate in joint naval drills with the Venezuelan navy in November.

 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on September 1 that Venezuela welcomed the Russian Navy and Air Force on its territory.

 

"If the Russian Navy arrives in the Caribbean or the Atlantic it may certainly visit Venezuela, we have no problems with that and would warmly welcome it," Chavez said.

 

"And if Russian long-range bombers should need to land in Venezuela we would not object to that either. We will also welcome them," he said.

[Arpa]

Yes, Mikhail S will learn history, be it ancient or modern, the hard way.

If he ever thought that the NATO and the US would rush to his rescue from thousands of miles away when the Russians are stationed only an hour’s walking distance away. If he believed that the US would rescue him, when they are nose deep in sh** in Korea, VietNam, Afghanistan, Iraq… and not to forget potentially Iran, if he thought that Israel would abandon its borders with Syria, Jordan and Egypt and rush to save him, and if he thought that furkey would risk confrontation with the Big Bad Bear….?

What was he smoking??? “Rose” petals???

 

[MosJan]

South Ossetia slapped down over Russia unity claim

Hannah Strange div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } Russia today slapped down its would-be satellite state of South Ossetia after the leader of the breakaway Georgian province claimed it would become part of the Russian Federation.

 

No sooner had Eduard Kokoity, president of the tiny enclave, alarmed Western powers by announcing it sought to join Russia, than the Kremlin issued a strenous denial and forced him to reverse his statement.

 

South Ossetia was recognised only a few days ago as an independent state by the Kremlin following last month’s bitter war. But Mr Kokoity said this morning that independence was no longer his goal. Instead he told a group of western journalists and academics that his aim was reunification with his countrymen across the border in North Ossetia, becoming part of Russia.

 

”We will be part of the Russian Federation,” he said. “It [south Ossetia] is not going to be an independent country.”

 

 

 

 

 

The move, if it ever went ahead, would effectively mean Russia would be annexing part of another country’s territory by force. It would be likely to provoke an angry response from Georgia, its ally America and other nations concerned about the redrawing of the map of the Caucasus.

 

But the Kremlin moved quickly to dismiss Mr Kokoity’s claims. Sergey Lavrov, the Russia foreign minister, told reporters in Warsaw that South Ossetia wanted to stay an independent state.

 

“South Ossetia is not intending to link up with anybody,” he said. “They have understood that without a declaration of independence, they cannot ensure their own security.”

 

Mr Kokoity later backtracked on his earlier statements in an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.

 

“I have probably been misunderstood,” he was quoted as saying. “We are not going to relinquish our independence, which we won at the cost of colossal sacrifices, and South Ossetia is not going to become part of Russia.”

 

But he acknowledged: “Yes, many in South Ossetia are talking about reunification with North Ossetia within Russia, and nobody can ban expressing such ideas.”

 

Initially, Mr Kokoity had argued that he was simply trying to redress an historic injustice that divided the Ossetian nation. He insisted that the move did not represent a threat to the region’s stability, but was simply fulfilling an oath undertaken by his ancestors in 1774 to remain loyal to the Kremlin.

 

Whatever the reason, the move would exacerbate tensions at a time when the international community had hoped that the crisis in the Caucasus was calming down.

 

This week President Nicolas Sarkozy of France finalised a peace deal with President Dimitry Medvedev that should entail the complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from undisputed Georgian territory and the deployment of 200 European Union monitors to observe the ceasefire.

 

Since then, however, Russia has announced that it plans to base 7,600 troops in the two breakaway provinces. Meanwhile the US is drawing up plans to rearm the Georgian military which was badly mauled in last month’s conflict.

 

President Kokoity’s announcement that he was willing to renounce independence in favour of joining Russia was in contrast to President Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia. He said that his tiny coastal statelet was determined to become fully independent under international law, even if its sovereignty has so far been recognised only by Russia and Nicaragua.

 

The leaders of both of the Georgian breakaway regions were united on one point, however. They both rejected any talks with the Government of President Mikhail Saakashvili, the Georgian leader. Both men said that no compromise was possible while he remained in power.

 

”Georgia must not make another war,” said Mr Bagapsh. “Georgia dances well, plays football well but war is not their thing.”

 

 

[MosJan]

Russia to introduce arms embargo against Georgia

 

Russia introduced a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on the non-militarization of Georgia. The document stipulates a complete blockade of arms shipments and military materials to Georgia. Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, stated that such a measure would stabilize the situation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

 

“We believe that the unrestrained arming of Georgia, which the United States and several other countries have been supporting during the recent several years, has obviously contributed to the aggressive actions, which Saakashvili committed against South Ossetia,” Churkin said.

 

The draft resolution says that all countries will take necessary measures with a view to block directly or indirectly the delivery or sales of arms and military hardware to Georgia and any other adequate material means.

 

“We believe that the arms embargo against Georgia would be necessary to normalize the state of affairs in the conflict area. The European Union must be interested in the endeavor too now, taking into consideration the fact that the EU has become the guarantor of Georgia’s intention not to use force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia under the documents dated of September 8,” Churkin said.

 

“Georgia must be interested in this issue too, for it must make a decisive turn to peace and not spend any money on arms to pose a threat to its neighbors,” RIA Novosti quoted Vitaly Churkin as saying.

 

“Russia realizes that the approval of this resolution is not going to be easy, taking account of USA’s stance at the UN Security Council. However, we are certain that such a political step is necessary and we have made it,” the Russian ambassador to the UN said.

 

The official also added that Russia considers it impossible to hold an official session to prolong the mandate of the UN Mission in Georgia without the participation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

The USA has repeatedly put obstacles on the way of Abkhazia’s participation in UN Security Council’s meetings, denying visas to the country’s officials.

 

Russian peacemakers are still stationed in the buffer zone in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Their deployment is stipulated by previously concluded agreements on the regulation of the conflict and does not contradict to Medvedev-Sarkozy plan.

 

Sixty-four Russian servicemen have been killed and 323 have been wounded in the conflict.