|
Russia
Defies West
by Recognising Georgian Rebel Regions
Georgia condemns announcement after Medvedev signs decree on
independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
By Mark Tran and agencies
26/08/08 "The
Guardian - -- Russia has stepped up its defiance
of the west by recognising the independence of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, Georgia's two breakaway provinces.
Less than three weeks after Russia and Georgia went to war over
South Ossetia, Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, said in a
televised announcement: "I have signed decrees on the
recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of
South Ossetia and the independence of Abkhazia."
Georgia condemned Medvedev's declaration. "This is an
unconcealed annexation of these territories, which are a part of
Georgia," said Giga Bokeria, the deputy foreign minister.
Western leaders followed suit, with some of the strongest
language coming from the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who
called it "absolutely unacceptable" but called for dialogue to
be maintained with Russia. The US secretary of state,
Condoleezza Rice, said Russia's move was regrettable. She said
Abkhazia and South Ossetia were part of Georgia "and it will
remain so".
The British foreign secretary, David Miliband, said Russian
recognition of Georgia's breakaway regions was "unjustifiable
and unacceptable". A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We reject
this categorically and reaffirm Georgia's sovereignty and
territorial integrity. This is contrary to obligations that
Russia has repeatedly taken on in [UN] security council
resolutions. It does nothing to improve the prospects for peace
in the Caucasus."
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU,
reiterated its commitment to Georgia's territorial integrity. It
has called a meeting of EU leaders to discuss the crisis next
Monday.
There was jubilation in Abkhazia where people fired into the
air, opened bottles of champagne and wept with joy. In Sukhumi,
Abkhazia's capital on the Black Sea coast, office workers
spilled into the streets moments after Medvedev made his
announcement.
"We feel happy. We all have tears in our eyes. We feel pride for
our people," Aida Gubaz, a 38-year-old lawyer, told Reuters.
"Everything we went through, now we are getting our reward."
There were similar scenes in Tskhinvali, the capital of South
Ossetia, where a Reuters photographer heard celebratory gunfire
on the city's outskirts.
Both houses of Russia's parliament yesterday unanimously adopted
resolutions urging Medvedev to recognise the independence of
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but the Russian government had been
expected to move more cautiously. Some analysts thought Russia's
preferred scenario was for the two provinces to eventually win
Kosovo-style acceptance, rather than face an unresolved status
like Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.
George Bush, the US president, yesterday expressed his deep
concern at the parliamentary votes and urged the Russian
government not to recognise the regions. The two provinces
rebelled against Georgian rule after the collapse of the Soviet
Union and have had de facto independence since the early 1990s.
Russia's envoy to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin, compared the tension
between Russia and the west to the eve of the first world war,
saying a new freeze in relations was inevitable.
"The current atmosphere reminds me of the situation in Europe in
1914 ... when because of one terrorist, leading world powers
clashed," Rogozin told the RBK Daily business newspaper. "I hope
Mikheil Saakashvili [the president of Georgia] will not go down
in history as a new Gavrilo Princip." He was referring to the
assassin of the Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The influential daily Kommersant ran as its front page headline
"Russia's leaders quarrel with the west". Below was a photo of
Medvedev taking aim with a Kalashnikov gun during a visit to a
weapons factory this year.
Two US warships are due to deliver humanitarian supplies
tomorrow to the Georgian port of Poti, where hundreds of Russian
troops are manning checkpoints in so-called security zones.
"At the request of the Georgian government, these ships will be
delivering humanitarian aid to Poti," a spokesman for the US
embassy said today. "The USS McFaul and another US ship will
dock in Poti on Wednesday."
In another show of support for Georgia, the White House
announced that Dick Cheney, the US vice-president and a critic
of Russia, would visit Georgia next week as part of a trip to
former Soviet states seeking closer links with the west.
Tension remains high in Poti on the Black Sea coast as Russia
has left many troops in place despite withdrawals from most of
Georgia last week. Russian media reported that the guided
missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet,
put to sea again from its Crimean base for what the navy
described as a routine training exercise to test weapons and
onboard systems.
Russia has pulled back most of its forces from Georgia proper
but has angered the west by keeping troops in a large buffer
zone around the two rebel regions, saying they are required as
peacekeepers. The west says the size of the buffer zones
violates the terms of a French-brokered ceasefire and has called
on Russia to withdraw without delay.
Georgian and Russian forces have been locked in a standoff in
the village of Mosabruni near the edge of South Ossetia, about
30 miles north-west of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
"We are afraid our children will be killed," said a Georgian
villager, Iza Mikhanishvili, 31. "There are Georgian forces on
one side, Ossetians on the other. Yes, they are peacekeepers,
but we are afraid every single night that something will happen.
The only thing we want is peace. I don't care who we are with."
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
Click on
"comments" below to read or post comments
Comment
Guidelines
Be succinct, constructive and
relevant to the story.
We encourage engaging, diverse and meaningful commentary.
Do not include personal information such as names, addresses,
phone numbers and emails. Comments falling outside our
guidelines – those including personal attacks and profanity –
are not permitted.
See our complete
Comment
Policy and use this link
to notify us if you have concerns about a
comment. We’ll promptly
review and remove any inappropriate postings.
Send Page To a Friend
In
accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed without profit to those
who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research and
educational purposes. Information Clearing House
has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator
of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse
endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
|
