Fireworks over Georgia

[skhara]

Still, we shouldn't discount them from the equation completely; if Russia didn't send any weapons to Armenia in the early 1990s, Artsakh would be filled with only Azeri speaking Azeris.

 

Exactly. I wish people would show a whole lot more political maturity. There are no "friendships", there are interests. Monte Melkonian spoke of this. He had little problem with certain Russian aid because of the direction that Azerbaijan is/was looking.

[Harut]

rusia has only "helped" Armenian after he found that azeris are no longer interested in Russian brothered

 

Russia didn't send weapons to Armenia ughaki mez cher xangarum vro menq zenq nermutsenq Hayastan yev Artsax, yerevi te ches hishum te um hovanavorutyamb Artsaxum azeri omon@ datarkum yve gyugherits durs er hanum hayerin, kam tekuz zinamtherqov er apahovum n@rants, kam tekuz yerevanum incher aretsin - yerevi te da asatsit pes charyats poqraguynn er , yev inchXosq ir hovvhanu nerqo er amen inch

 

hima esor sa e - yev es norasteghts paterazm@ - vay lezus papandzvi paterazm ch@lini - shat arag karrogh e taratsvel

 

not to go off topic... but...

 

hetaqrqir e imanal, te rusakan "ognutyan" vor masn e yeghel irakan ognutyun yev vor mas@ spyurrqahayeri koghmic rusakan bazaneric gnvats zinamterq, vor@ minchev hayastan er hasum, apranqi gnic aveli el rusakan u vratsakan &anaparhnerin kasharrqner er trvum...

[Ashot]

One can only dream that ankara(Abkhazia) would be sucked into this mess

I guess your dream came true

[Ashot]

Death toll in South Ossetia reaches 2,000

At least 2,000 people, including many children, have been killed since Georgia launched a military offensive against its breakaway republic of South Ossetia. That's according to Russia's Ambassador in Tbilisi. Meanwhile, Russian efforts to help thousands of war refugees and those still trapped in the conflict zone are in full swing.

 

The chief of Russia's ground forces says Georgian shelling has destroyed all the hospitals in the South Ossetian captial, Tskhinvali.

 

It's also reported that more than ten border villages have been burnt to the ground.

 

The Russian President, Dimitry Medvedev, said Georgia is denying the whole of South Ossetia the right to life by its actions. He said that: "Russian peacekeepers and military units are carrying out an operation to enforce Georgia to a peace deal. They are also responsible for defending of the civillian population".

 

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the government is planning to allocate around $US 400 million for the reconstruction of South Ossetia.

 

“The actions of the Georgian leadership in South Ossetia are crime against their own people. A deliberate blow was delivered to the integrity of Georgia and that means a massive damage to its identity. It is hard to imagine after all that happened and all that is still happening they will be able to convince South Ossetia to belong to Georgia,” said Vladimir Putin.

 

The Russian Ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, says 12 Russian peacekeepers have been killed and 70 wounded during the Georgian attacks.

 

People take shelter in bunkers

 

More than 30,000 refugees have arrived in Russia's southern regions as people try to flee the conflict zone. Meanwhile, thousands of people still remain in the demolished city of Tskhinvali. Amid continuing shelling, people are sheltering in bunkers, but are said to be running out of food, and there is no water or electricity.

 

Russia's Emergency's Ministry has delivered the first consignment of medication to the South Ossetian capital. Humanitarian aid and power generators are also expected to be delivered soon.

 

Russian military officials say the 76th Airborne Brigade of the Russian Army has arrived in the conflict region. One section of the brigade has already flown to the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali. Other troops will move to the region by ground transport, military sources said.

 

The main goal of the reinforcements, military officials insist, is to restore peace and protect Russian citizens.

 

No western cameras in South Ossetia

 

The conflict over Georgia’s breakaway republic is as much about information as it is about weapons. South Ossetia's press service claims Western media outlets can't be trusted because they haven't been operating in the region ”since the conflict began”. (WATCH THE VIDEO)

 

“Only the Russian media and one Ukrainian channel have been filming in the breakaway republic. No western camera crews have been working in the conflict zone,” Suslan Bekoev, South Ossetian committee for information and press, said.

 

Tbilisi remains silent - Russia

 

Russia's Foreign Ministry says it has not received any proposals from Georgia to stop hostilities. The statement comes after reports that Georgia's President offered Moscow a plan to end the violence.

 

Russia has insisted a deal can only be reached if Georgia withdraws its troops.

 

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it sent additional forces to aid the peacekeepers in the conflict zone, as a response to Georgia's aggression.

 

Meanwhile, Tbilisi has introduced martial law, and accused Russia of launching a war against it.

[Ashot]

Putin accuses Georgia of genocide

Vladimir Putin says Georgia has broken the rules of war in its offensive in South Ossetia. After visiting a refugee camp in North Ossetia, the Prime Minister accused Georgia of genocide and said those responsible for war crimes should be prosecuted.

 

Shortly after his trip to the capital of North Ossetia, Vladikavkaz, the Russian Prime-Minister Vladimir Putin met with President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the crisis in South Ossetia.

 

Medvedev claims those guilty of crimes against South Ossetians should bare responsibility and even face charges.

 

Putin says Georgia is leading a "war against the rules", calling Tbilisi's actions against South Ossetia, genocide

 

“They are mostly women, children and the elderly. Of course, they faced a dramatic tragedy. What they told me is beyond any war rules. I believe there were elements of genocide.

 

 

 

Putin went on to say that criminal charges could follow: "I think our Prosecutor General’s office should take note of all incidents since most of the South Ossetian population is Russian. These are crimes against the civilian population.

 

Addressing the humanitarian situation, Putin said a mobile hospital has been sent to North Ossetia. He also said a second temporary hospital can soon be deployed.

 

Putin also said he is very concerned about the condition of people in South Ossetia and in Tskhinvali in particular.

 

“Several hours ago we contacted people there. They’ve been staying in their basements for several days now without water – there is no source of water”.

 

Earlier the Prime Minister changed his travel plans to see for himself the efforts being made to help the war refugees from South Ossetia. The former president went to Vladikavkaz to hold talks with evacuees and local officials.

Medical support keeps arriving in Russia's republic of North Ossetia, where the majority of refugees are being taken to from the conflict zone.

 

“The Georgians were bombing up heavily through the night so we fled because we were afraid of dying. We came to Vladikavkaz by bus along the mountain roads because the main road was under fire,” said Fatima Khaseva, evacuee with two small children.

 

She is safe for now on Russian territory. But her loved ones remain inside the conflict zone.

 

“It’s so hard to be here knowing that my husband is still in South Ossetia. Every day I’m afraid I’ll hear news that he’s dead,” said Fatima Khaseva.

 

With power lines destroyed in South Ossetian villages there’s no way the refugees can contact their families, and the stream of official information is low. There evacuees say they’re holding out hope that Russia will bring the war to an end. News that Russian forces are taking action is met with relief.

 

Locals in Vladikavkaz continue to provide much needed clothes and food to the evacuees.

[Ashot]

Abkhazia starts war with Georgia

The situation is escalating in Georgia's second breakaway republic - Abkhazia. Its troops are on the move towards the security zone in the Gali region close to the border with Georgia. Meanwhile they are continuing a military operation to dislodge Georgian forces in the upper Kodori Gorge in northern Abkhazia.

 

The UN’s 15 military observers have been evacuated from the region after a request from the Abkhazian side.

 

Georgian media claim the Abkhazian army bombarded positions in the West of Georgia.

 

Abkhazia's army has launched a military operation to try to force Georgian troops out of the upper part of the Kodori Gorge. It started with the use of artillery and air strikes against Georgian forces.

 

The breakaway republic has provided a humanitarian corridor for residents of the disputed Kodori Gorge. However the breakaway republic’s officials say they don't know whether people will use this passageway to safety.

 

Earlier, Russia's Interfax news agency reported that Russian ships prevented Georgian military vessels from nearing Abkhazia.

 

Thousands of Russians are on holiday in the picturesque republic with a long coastline. They fear a conflict could result in innocent blood being spilled.

 

But RT correspondent Aleksandr Luchaninov says Russians are not ready to leave the area just yet.

 

"Those I spoke to said they are very concerned, and in case of trouble they are prepared to leave the region immediately," he said.

 

For several days Georgian troops have been massing on the border. Abkhasia's president, Sergey Bagapsh, said the breakaway republic’s troops are in contact with peacekeeping forces in the region.

 

The atmosphere in the capital Sukhumi is tense, and officials are anticipating Georgian aggression.

 

"Today it's South Ossetia, tomorrow it might be Abkhasia," said Bagapsh, explaining his decision to move the troops.

 

Meanwhile, the situation in South Ossetia is affecting neighbouring countries, according to reports from the Armenian-Georgian border

[Ashot]

U.S. can be partly blamed for war – ex Georgian FM

A number of experts agree the military conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia is not in Russia’s interests. The Former Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili says the United States could be partly responsible for the violence in South Ossetia.

 

In an interview with the France-Presse news agency she commented on the possible reasons behind the military conflict.

 

"There are many Americans in Georgia training the military forces of the country and monitoring the situation. As I understand, they also supervise the strategic corridor – the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

 

The main purpose behind the conflict is the further strategic orientation of Georgia and an opportunity for the West, I mean the USA and the EU, to count on Georgia and the Caucasus in ensuring the strategic provision of oil".

 

Professor Gerhard Mangott, from the Department of political science at the University of Innsbruck, shared his opinion on who stands to gain from the military escalation in the conflict zone.

 

"The military assault in South Ossetia was launched deliberately, and the question is by whom? Definitely, not by Russia, as it’s not in the country’s interests,” he said.

[Ashot]

Third UN meeting in 24 hours brings no result over Georgian war

For the third time the UN Security Council has failed to make a decision over the conflict in South Ossetia. The Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said he believed the delay was partly responsible for the escalation of violence in the region.

 

At the UN meeting, Russia stated Georgia has to pull its forces out of South Ossetia and agree to stop the aggression. Churkin also said a ceasefire could not be an option while Georgian troops remain on South Ossetian territory.

[Ashot]

Georgian forces ‘quit South Ossetia’

Russia has rejected claims that Georgian troops have left South Ossetia after failing to take control of the breakaway republic. Reuters news agency quoted Georgia’s Internal Affairs Ministry spokesman, Shota Utiashvili, as saying: ‘Georgian troops have fully left South Ossetia.’

 

There are conflicting messages coming out of Tbilis. The Secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council, Aleksandr Lomaya, claims Georgian troops have merely relocated to new positions within South Ossetia.

 

“Following the airstrikes, Tskhuinvali is virtually obliterated. In these conditions our forces have relocated and assumed new positions,” Lomaya said.

 

This claim of relocation rather than withdrawal has been confirmed by Russian peacekeeping spokesman Vladimir Ivanov: “Georgia did not remove its forces from South Ossetia”.

 

“Our observation posts have spotted Georgian law-enforcement units, as well as artillery and armoured vehicles,” he said.

 

Trapped

 

Meanwhile, local officials in South Ossetia say there's been no let-up in the fighting overnight. Georgian troops continued shelling the capital Tskhinvali and several other Ossetian towns.

 

More than 150 people remain trapped under the rubble of the city hospital. It was destroyed on the first day of the hostilities. That's according to local officials.

 

Georgia’s death toll

 

According to reports from Tbilisi, 45 Georgian soldiers and 40 civilians were killed in two days of violence in South Ossetia. Those figures contrast wildly with those released by South Ossetia and Russia, who say an estimated 2,000 people have been killed.

 

Georgia's media is also reporting strikes by Russian war planes outside the conflict zone.

 

Media reports say an apartment block in the Georgian town of Gori was hit by a Russian bomb.

 

Russia's Defence Ministry says its planes have not bombed any civilian targets.

 

A Russian journalist based in Georgia reported on his Internet blog that an ammunition warehouse in Gori was targeted and destroyed - which caused civilian casualties.

 

Also Russian planes are reported to have bombed Georgian military bases and airfields across the country as well as the seaport of Poti.

[Nané]

Tbilisi wants to see Israel place diplomatic pressure on Russia

 

Israeli diplomatic officials were in contact throughout Sunday with their Russian counterparts, and denied any crisis in Israeli-Russian relations as a result of the Russian-Georgian conflagration and past sales of Israeli arms to Tbilisi.

 

Israel has sold an estimated $300 million to $500m. worth of weaponry and military training to Georgia over the last decade, and there were unconfirmed reports that the Foreign Ministry had called for a complete ban on sales to the region, concerned they would infuriate the Russians and spur Moscow into selling more advanced weapons to Iran and Syria.

 

One diplomatic official said Russia could not use the argument of Israeli sales to Georgia to justify its sales of weapons to Damascus and Teheran, since Georgia was not threatening to destroy Russia, nor did it pose the same threat to Moscow as Iran and Syria did to Jerusalem.

 

Konstinidi, meanwhile, did not hide his disappointment with a statement on the crisis put out by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after holding an emergency consultation with the ministry's top staff.

 

Before the statement was issued, Konstinidi said the Georgian government had been in contact with the Israeli government, and "was hopeful that they would make a statement calling on Russia to stop military action against a sovereign country. This is a classic [case] of aggression and occupation."

 

Konstinidi said Tbilisi was also expecting "more active actions" beyond a statement, such as diplomatic pressure from Jerusalem on Moscow.

 

"Israel has suffered from terrorists, but fortunately could defend its own territory from terrorists around it. Our neighbor is much stronger, and [they] are supporting terrorists on our border," he said.

 

Russia's position is that Georgia precipitated the crisis, while the world was focused on the Olympics, to reclaim the disputed South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions.

 

An Israeli diplomatic official said it was unrealistic for the Georgians to expect that Jerusalem could move the Russians through diplomatic pressure, and that the address for that type of pressure was Washington.

 

The statement that emerged from the Foreign Ministry consultations seemed to represent an attempt to articulate some support for the Georgians, while not antagonizing the Russians.

 

"Israel is following with great concern the developments in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and hopes the violence will end," the statement read. "Israel recognizes the territorial integrity of Georgia and calls for a peaceful solution."

 

Konstinidi said Georgia expected a more categorical statement from Israel, and hoped Jerusalem would issue additional statements to place pressure on Russia.

 

In Tbilisi, meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy was preparing contingency plans for evacuation of the Israelis in the country, but at this point was merely facilitating those who wanted to leave.

 

A flight with some 200 passengers, made up of Israeli trekkers, businesspeople and their families as well as Georgian-born Israelis vacationing there arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday evening. Another 60 Israelis left Georgia overland, through Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

 

One diplomatic official said Sunday evening the feeling was that the situation was calming down a bit, and there would be no reason for a hurried evacuation of the remaining Israelis in the country, estimated at about 200.

 

The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, sent additional manpower to the embassy to help out.

 

The Jewish Agency dispatched the director of its unit dealing with the former Soviet Union Alex Katz to Tbilisi to assess the situation, and to gauge whether as a result of the volatile situation a large number of Georgian Jews wanted to now move to Israel. The Jewish community in Georgia is estimated at 9,000 to 12,000, with some 90 percent living in Tbilisi.

 

Spokesman Michael Jankelowitz said the agency helped evacuate some 200 Jews living near the town of Gori on the South Ossetian border to Tbilisi since the fighting began on Friday. According to Jewish Agency statistics, 23,287 people have immigrated to Israel from Georgia since 1989. A little more than 300 arrived in 2007.

 

Jankelowitz said it was too early to tell whether the current fighting would lead to a spike in Georgian aliya, since people had a tendency to panic at first, but then settle down when the situation began to stabilize.

 

Link

Edited August 11, 2008 by Nané

[Nané]

Visitors Told To Avoid Georgia

 

Italy on Sunday evacuated its citizens from Georgia to Armenia...

 

Foreigners flee Georgia

 

About 130 of the 200 Italian nationals known to be in Georgia left by bus Sunday to travel south to the Armenian capital Yerevan, an Italian foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.

 

Poland's foreign ministry said it had sent a government plane to Yerevan to collect around 180 evacuees waiting there.

 

Germany has advised its citizens in Georgia to leave the country by traveling south to Armenia or Turkey. A group of Spanish tourists had already been also evacuated through Armenia, a Spanish diplomatic source said.

 

Moscow on attack as desperate Georgian forces sue for peace

 

The governments of Britain, the US, Germany, Italy, Poland and Canada have advised their citizens living in Georgia to seek safety in Armenia.

 

------------------

But of course this guy in the forest knows better...

 

'Dangerous to go anywhere in Georgia'

 

Dubai: Hiding from Russian airstrikes in Georgia's capital Tbilisi in a nearby forest, Zurab Vanishvili has become an eyewitness to the fierce fighting currently raging in the country.

 

Speaking to Gulf News over his mobile phone yesterday from a shack some 20 kilometres outside the city, he and his family - his wife, a boy, a girl and a two-month-old baby - are fearfully awaiting the next bomb attacks from Russian fighter aircraft.

 

"The Russians are presently bombing eleven cities in Georgia", Vanishvili said.

 

The lawyer, who runs a solicitor's office in Tbilisi as well as in Deira, Dubai, bemoaned the loss of his house in Gori, a town 80km from Tbilisi, which was the target of heavy Russian bombing.

 

"We continue to stay in the forest for security reasons," Vanishvili said. "As of now, it is dangerous to go anywhere."

 

Vanishvili said he urgently needed to obtain travel documents for his youngest child to allow the entire family to leave the country. He said that he thought Tbilisi's civilian airport may still be operational - at least until yesterday morning when he saw three passenger jets taking off.

 

'No more planes'

 

"Since then I have seen no more planes," he said. The nearby military airport has been destroyed by bombs and is now defunct, Vanishvili added.

 

Many people are sharing his fate and are staying in the forest as well, he said. They are wondering if the Russians will continue their attacks or if diplomatic pressure from the West will calm the situation down at least temporarily and give them the opportunity to collect their belongings and flee abroad or hide with their relatives in more secure places.

 

"Maybe we will go to Turkey," Vanishvili said. Neighbouring countries like Armenia or Azerbaijan "are not safe to go", he says. He said he had heard of a flight corridor being used by passenger aircraft to evacuate residents from Tbilisi.

 

Getting away by ship seems impossible. The Russian war vessels have blocked access to the Black Sea port of Poti while air raids destroyed much of the infrastructure there.

 

In the forest, he is relying solely on a car battery to operate his small TV set and watch breaking news aired by Georgian state television. According to the news, the Georgian army has destroyed 40 Russian tanks and 11 fighter jets as of yesterday . The TV also showed groups of wounded Russian soldiers.

 

Russia has deployed some 10,000 troops in Georgia, according to latest Georgian TV news, and is in control of the Kodori valley in Abkhazia.

 

[shiner]

It's interesting how so many Armenians think Putin is an angel who can't do wrong.

[MosJan]

not to go off topic... but...

 

hetaqrqir e imanal, te rusakan "ognutyan" vor masn e yeghel irakan ognutyun yev vor mas@ spyurrqahayeri koghmic rusakan bazaneric gnvats zinamterq, vor@ minchev hayastan er hasum, apranqi gnic aveli el rusakan u vratsakan &anaparhnerin kasharrqner er trvum...

 

mioyayn iyn mas@ or tuyl en tvel mer $$ mer yerkir aprnaq / zinamtherq ugharkvi

 

irenq Dabro en tvel axper jan

[Ashot]

Georgia to drown ruined city – South Ossetia

The government in South Ossetia claims Georgia has reconnected water supplies to Tskhinvali in order to flood the war-ravaged city.

 

The breakaway republic’s head of Press and Information, Irina Gagloeva, says the plan is to inundate the city, to drive the remaining residents out of cellars and basements where they've taken shelter. She says the decision to switch on the city’s water is very strange in the current context.

 

Georgia controls both the water and gas supply to South Ossetia. Tbilisi cut the water supply more than a month ago and the city is without gas.

 

Three days of Georgian shelling have left the breakaway republic’s capital in ruins and without energy. Supplies of food and water are also running out.

 

Meanwhile, a convoy of Russian aid has reportedly crossed the Russian-South Ossetian border and is heading to Tskhinvali.

[Ashot]

Russia suspends sea and postal links with Georgia

Sea and postal connections between Russia and Georgia have been cut in connection with the ongoing conflict in the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

The Russian ship “Mikhail Svetlov” was due to depart from the southern port of Sochi for Georgia’s Batumi at 6pm on Monday.

 

However, the sailing has been cancelled due to reasons beyond control of the Russian side, reported the Itar-Tass news agency.

 

The Deputy Head of Russia's Black Sea Sochi port said a decision to cancel the voyage was taken after officials were told Batumi in Georgia was no longer receiving vessels.

 

Earlier, it was reported that postal services to and from Georgia have also been cut.

 

Russia’s Transport Ministry supended air links with Georgia on August 9 because of Tbilisi’s military offensive in South Ossetia.

[Ashot]

'Bombed' Tblisi airport welcomes foreign ministers

Pictures broadcast all over the world on Sunday show Georgian officials greeting French and Finnish foreign ministers arriving at Tbilisi International airport. The images showed no sign of damage to the building or its airstrips. Earlier, Georgia claimed Russian planes bombed the capital’s airport.

 

In another development, the Georgian government has backtracked on an earlier accusation that Russian planes bombed two military bases near Tblisi overnight. A new statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs says that bombs were dropped on uninhabited areas.

 

Russia insists its airforce has only attacked military targets.

[Ashot]

The ugly face of war - revealed

 

The following video may be very disturbing for some people.

http://russiatoday.com/news/news/28802/video

[Ashot]

Russia sends humanitarian aid to South Ossetia

Russia's Emergencies Ministry has gathered its forces which are delivering tonnes of humanitarian aid to the devastated capital Tskhinvali.

 

Food, water, drugs and temporary hospitals are heading there via Java where they will take up more equipment and humanitarian aid.

 

They also have mobile power stations with them.

 

“We’ve decided to send a rescue mission there, including two hospitals with all the necessary facilities. We also plan to set up a camp for those who have been left homeless,” said Pavel Plat, chief military expert from the Emergencies Ministry.

 

Meanwhile, South Ossetian authorities are planning to evacuate around 3,000 people from the conflict zone on Monday.

 

Majority of those from the breakaway republic have taken refuge in Russia’s republic of North Ossetia.

 

A group of Russian pediatricians will be sent to its capital Vladikavkaz on Monday as the number of injured children is growing in the region.

[Ashot]

Talks possible only after Georgians pull out - Russia

Another UN Security Council session on the situation in South Ossetia has wrapped up in New York. Russia says it's not refusing to start talks with Georgia but believes negotiations can only be possible when Georgia pulls out its troops from South Ossetia and commits itself to a non-use of force agreement.

 

Georgia has called for humanitarian and diplomatic intervention from the UN Security Council members “to stop aggression coming from Russia.”

 

“Russian ground troops’ armed invasion has already transformed into a full-scale occupation of parts of Georgian territory. The process of extermination of Georgian population and annihilation of Georgia’s statehood is in full swing,” said Irakly Alasania, Georgian ambassador to UN.

 

Georgia and the U.S. have also said that what Russia is looking for is a regime change.

 

But Russia has reiterated that a regime change is actually American terminology.

 

It has also reminded the UN Security Council that Russia was the first to initiate the urgent meeting on the conflict in South Ossetia back on Thursday.

 

Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that whatever the policy of the U.S. in this conflict may be, what it surely shouldn’t do is engaging propaganda at such a highly respected body as the UN Security Council.

 

He also said that Georgia is one of the fastest growing countries in terms of the increase of its military potential. Churkin said Georgia has increased its military budget by 30 times in the last several years.

 

According to Churkin’s data, 127 military advisors from the U.S. Department of Defense are now in Georgia, not taking into consideration all other advisors. He said Russia hopes rumours that the U.S. gave a green light to Georgia to embark on a military adventure are not true.

 

According to the Russian side, there are no legal terms to describe the actions of Georgia’s leadership.

 

“What legal terms can be used to describe what has been done by the Georgian leadership? Can we use ethnic cleansing for example? When about one third of the population of South Ossetia left it during several days and went north risking their lives – is it ethnic cleansing or not? Now, when 2,000 is killed out of the total population of 100,000 – is it genocide or not? How many civilians must die before we describe it as genocide?” Churkin said.

 

Georgia, the U.S. and some other states call for an immediate ceasefire and Russia says this is far from enough, since Georgian troops are still on South Ossetian territory.

 

For a solution to be found, Tbilisi must stop playing games and agree to specific step-by-step action.

 

The U.S. is now expected to propose a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire. But Russia has made it clear - what it wants first is the withdrawal of Georgia troops and an agreement on the non-use of force.

 

The Security Council will reconvene on Monday.

 

NATO concerns

 

Meanwhile, Russia's actions in South Ossetia have raised concerns from the NATO alliance.

 

But the NATO itself should be reminded of its so called 'proportional use of force' in Yugoslavia in 1999, says Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin.

 

“President Saakashvili is not a European. Perhaps to become one he wants to kill another 10,000 of non-ethnic Georgian civilians. As far as the NATO is concerned, we can remind them of what they called in 1999 the ‘proportional use of force’ in Yugoslavia, when the NATO killed thousands of civilians in Belgrade and destroyed bridges over the Danube River while using ammunition prohibited by international conventions,” Rogozin said.

[Ashot]

US hampering Russian peace efforts – Putin

The Prime Minister has accused Washington of undermining Russia’s attempts to restore peace in the South Ossetian conflict zone. Vladimir Putin said a decision by the US military to fly 900 Georgian soldiers from Iraq back to Georgia showed America was ‘trying to get in the way’.

 

In a stinging attack on the US, Putin told government ministers: "It's a pity that some of our partners, instead of helping, are trying to get in the way”.

 

He said the US was using “its military transport aircraft to relocate Georgia's military contingent from Iraq virtually into the conflict zone”.

 

He also voiced his frustration at the inability of Russia's western partners to adequately assess the situation in South Ossetia.

 

“I’m amazed by their skills at seeing black as white, of portraying aggressors as victims and of blamimg the real victims for the consequences of the conflict.

 

Putin also accused the West of double standards when it comes to judging war crimes.

 

“As we all know, Saddam Hussein was hanged for burning down several Shiite villages. But now suddenly the situation is different. The Georgian leaders who in a matter of hours wiped out ten Ossetian villages, who ran over children and the elderly with tanks, who burned civilians alive, those people have to be protected,” he said.

 

 

Meanwhile, American Joe Mestas, who witnessed days of shelling, has said U.S. and Georgian leaders are responsible for the violence that has killed 2,000 people in the region. He told RT that Washington will have to answer for the violence.

 

“I thought that since U.S. is supporting Georgia there would be some control over the situation in South Ossetia and that there would be a peaceful solution to the conflict. But what is happening there now it’s not just war, but war crimes. George Bush and [Georgian president] Mikhail Saakashvili should answer to the crimes that are being committed – the killing of innocent people, running over by tanks of children and women, throwing grenades into cellars where people are hiding,” Mestas said.

 

“The war is when military fight against military. But the Georgian army is killing innocent civilians. This is genocide,” he added.

 

[Ashot]

The Armenian Embassy in Georgia and the Armenian Council in Batumy are ready to help Armenians to return to their Motherland

 

09.08.2008 15:47

 

“Armenia is very minded about the situation in the north Ossetia and hopes that the sides will do their best to find a solution to the problem by negotiations. It will let to recover the stability and peace in our neighbor country”, was written in the message of RA Foreign Affairs Ministry. The RA Embassy in Georgia and the RA Council in Batumy follow the developings and are always in connection with the centre of Georgia and local authorities. The citizens of Armenia who are in Georgia will get a support from the Armenian Embassy and Council in the case they want to return to the Motherland. The number of Armenian Embassy in Georgia is +99532.964286, the number of the Armenian Council in Batumy is +995.222.31515.

[Arpa]

The ugly face of war - revealed

 

The following video may be very disturbing for some people.

http://russiatoday.com/news/news/28802/video

Yes, we know that this whole thing began when Saakashvili invaded.

Was he sucked into it to create an excuse?

Is there a not so tacit message here to all those toying with the idea of NATO? (Read the commentary by Peter Lavelle in the above site)

Look at our un-neighborly neighbors to the east.

Is it also a message that “george-ia” is not “bush land”?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushland

Edited August 11, 2008 by Arpa

[MosJan]

News

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August 11, 2008, 20:30

Peacekeepers seize army base inside Georgia

Russian peacekeeping forces have taken control of Georgia’s largest airbase, about 40km from the border with Abkhazia. The Russian Defence Ministry said the troops were taking ‘preventative action’ at the base in the town of Senaki. The Georgian army is pulling in troops to Tbilisi to protect the capital from the advancing Russian forces. Peacekeepers and other Russian land units have launched their first operation inside Georgian territory proper since Tbilisi began its offensive against the breakaway republic of South Ossetia last week.

 

A spokesman for the Defence Ministry confirmed the incursion, which was first reported by Georgia’s Internal Ministry.

 

“Russian peacekeepers and military units attached to them are taking action to prevent Georgia from shelling South Ossetia and Russian peacekeepers,” he said.

 

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Map of the region Another objective of the operation is to prevent ‘a build-up of additional volunteers and reservists’ mobilized to continue military operations the breakaway republics.

 

Earlier reports indicated that Abkhazian troops supported by Russian fighter planes had taken control of a village in Georgia’s Zugdidi region. But Abkhazian sources have denied the reports.

 

Meanwhile, news channels CNN and the BBC are reporting that the Georgian town of Gori has been captured by Russian troops. Both channels are quoting the Georgian foreign minister. These reports have not been confirmed by any source.

 

Medvedev compares Georgia to Nazi Germany

 

While talking to Russian MPs on Monday, President Dmitry Medevev drew a clear parallel between the current Georgian regime and Nazi Germany.

 

The President said Russia is not going to “pacify the aggressor” as Europe did in 1938, by signing the Munich treaty with Hitler. “We all know to what tragic consequences this led,” he said.

 

Dmitry Medvedev also described the Russian military operation in South Ossetia as “the only appropriate and absolutely effective” response.

 

U.S. starts evacuating embassy staff from Tbilisi

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. has begun evacuating the families of its diplomats from Georgia. They are being sent to Armenia as a precaution, according to the U.S. Embassy in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

 

U.S. ambassador John Tefft and his team of diplomats will continue their work in Tbilisi.

 

 

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Tblisi airport August 11, 2008, 10:29

'Bombed' Tblisi airport welcomes foreign ministers

Pictures broadcast all over the world on Sunday show Georgian officials greeting French and Finnish foreign ministers arriving at Tbilisi International airport. The images showed no sign of damage to the building or its airstrips. Earlier, Georgia claimed Russian planes bombed the capital's airport. In another development, the Georgian government has backtracked on an earlier accusation that Russian planes bombed two military bases near Tblisi overnight. A new statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs says that bombs were dropped on uninhabited areas.

 

Russia insists its airforce has only attacked military targets

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August 11, 2008, 14:53

‘Major part’ of peace mission completed – Medvedev

Russia has accomplished a significant part of its mission to restore peace to the breakaway Georgian republic of South Ossetia, says President Dmitry Medvedev. He said a reinforced peacekeeping contingent is now fully in control of the region's capital Tskhinvali. In a Kremlin meeting with Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov on Monday, Medvedev said: "A major part of the operation to force the Georgian side and the Georgian authorities to peace in South Ossetia has been completed”.

 

The President went on to say: “Tskhinvali is under the control of a strengthened Russian peacekeeping contingent."

 

Deputy Head of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsin, told journalists that Russia is attempting to contain the conflict and prevent it from spilling over into Georgia’s other breakaway republic, Abkhazia, or into Russian territory. To watch the full press conference, click here.

 

In another development, the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexandr Bortnikov, said on Monday that nine Georgian spies had been detained. They are accused of planning terrorist acts in Russia.

 

Meanwhile there have been reports of renewed artillery fire coming from towns and villages surrounding the South Ossetian capital. Operations are under way to take control of strategic high points in the mountainous conflict zone.

 

Georgia says its forces have pulled out of the conflict zone but Russian military sources say they are still encountering resistance.

 

A constant flow of evacuees to neighbouring North Ossetia report that Georgian troops remain in the area and sporadic fighting continues. (CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY)

 

The capital of the Russian republic of North Ossetia is struggling to cope with the influx of refugees and wounded civilians. Hospitals are overcrowded and medical staff are working overtime.

 

According to reports from Tbilisi, 45 Georgian soldiers and 40 civilians were killed in two days of violence in South Ossetia. Those figures contrast wildly with those released by South Ossetia and Russia, who say an estimated 2,000 people have lost their lives.