Spring Break
Georgia Conflict
Russia eyes separatist Georgian regions
Jim Heintz and Mansur Mirovalev
Issue date: 8/26/08 Section: News
"We don't need an illusion of partnership, when they surround us by bases from all sides, they drag more and more states into the North Atlantic bloc and they tell us, 'Don't worry, everything's fine' - of course we don't like that,' " Medvedev said.
Russian tanks and troops poured into South Ossetia on Aug. 8 after Georgia launched a barrage against the breakaway region's capital then drove deep into Georgia proper.
The Russian forces pulled back Friday in what Moscow claims is fulfillment of a European Union-brokered cease-fire. However, Georgia and its Western allies say Russia has violated the cease-fire's call to pull back to prewar positions because it has set up posts adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian Security Council head Alexander Lomaia told The Associated Press on Monday that Russia has set up at least 14 positions in the security zones, apparently manned by hundreds of troops. "It's difficult to count them, but they say they are deploying at least 20 at each checkpoint and two or three heavy armored vehicles," he said.
Although Georgia bitterly opposes the security zones, the country's small military is unlikely to be able to push out the Russian soldiers.
Russia's huge armed forces quickly overwhelmed Georgia's, and President Mikhail Saakashvili has been accused of starting a war Georgia had no hope of winning.
Lomaia said Georgia will seek to force the Russians out by using "the force of law, not the law of force."
"We will focus on a concentrated international effort to help Georgia to get rid of the Russian forces," he said.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Russia is "still failing to live up to and honor" the cease-fire accord. "There continues to be a large presence of Russian forces in Georgia," he said.
But how much the U.S. and Western Europe, which depends on Russia for oil and gas, are willing to force the issue remains unclear.
Russian tanks and troops poured into South Ossetia on Aug. 8 after Georgia launched a barrage against the breakaway region's capital then drove deep into Georgia proper.
The Russian forces pulled back Friday in what Moscow claims is fulfillment of a European Union-brokered cease-fire. However, Georgia and its Western allies say Russia has violated the cease-fire's call to pull back to prewar positions because it has set up posts adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian Security Council head Alexander Lomaia told The Associated Press on Monday that Russia has set up at least 14 positions in the security zones, apparently manned by hundreds of troops. "It's difficult to count them, but they say they are deploying at least 20 at each checkpoint and two or three heavy armored vehicles," he said.
Although Georgia bitterly opposes the security zones, the country's small military is unlikely to be able to push out the Russian soldiers.
Russia's huge armed forces quickly overwhelmed Georgia's, and President Mikhail Saakashvili has been accused of starting a war Georgia had no hope of winning.
Lomaia said Georgia will seek to force the Russians out by using "the force of law, not the law of force."
"We will focus on a concentrated international effort to help Georgia to get rid of the Russian forces," he said.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Russia is "still failing to live up to and honor" the cease-fire accord. "There continues to be a large presence of Russian forces in Georgia," he said.
But how much the U.S. and Western Europe, which depends on Russia for oil and gas, are willing to force the issue remains unclear.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Bdygard
Craig Hawley
posted 8/26/08 @ 5:08 PM MST
This could really flare into a major conflict quickly.
A major oil line runs through Georgian territory and Russia would love to take back Georgia and take control of that pipeline. (Continued…)
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