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Conflict Rages between Georgia and
Russia
After a Week of Fighting, a
Shaky Ceasefire Holds
TBILISI (Reuters)—On Aug. 13, Georgia accused Russia of
breaking a ceasefire in their six-day-old conflict, a claim
denied by Moscow, as chaos reigned around an undefended key
Georgian town west of the capital.
President George W. Bush mounted his strongest show of
support yet for his close ally Georgia, sending Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice to the former Soviet republic and
pledging to airlift aid in military planes.
“Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis,” Bush
said, referring to Moscow’s announcement the previous day of
a halt to military operations, part of a French-sponsored
ceasefire.
The conflict began on Aug. 7, when Georgia made a surprise
attempt to recapture the pro-Russian rebel province of South
Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia in the 1990’s. Moscow
launched a huge counter-offensive, which overwhelmed the far
smaller Georgian forces.
On Aug. 13, Moscow strongly denied its troops and armor had
advanced on the Georgian capital or looted the key town of
Gori, 60 km. (35 miles) west of Tbilisi, as claimed by
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
The fighting in the Caucasus, an important transit route for
Caspian oil, has unnerved the United States, NATO, and the
European Union and rattled investors. It has also led to
increasingly sharp exchanges between old Cold War foes
Moscow and Washington.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United
States needed to choose between partnership with Moscow or
the Georgian leadership, whom he described as a “virtual
project.”
In Brussels, the European Union backed sending peacekeeping
monitors to South Ossetia to supervise the French-brokered
ceasefire. It also agreed to step up humanitarian aid.
The moves masked deep divisions within the 27-nation bloc,
with Britain and some former communist nations demanding
tough action against Moscow, while close Russian trade
partners France, Germany, and Italy favored a more
diplomatic approach.
In and around South Ossetia’s capital Tskhinvali, which was
devastated during the Georgian attack, occasional small-arms
fire resounded but there were no major incidents.
“The situation is purely a post-war one,” said South
Ossetian spokeswoman Irina Gagloyeva. “Taking advantage of
this lull, we are reburying those killed in the Georgian
aggression.
Moscow announced an emergency aid package for South Ossetia,
with Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin pledging 10 billion
roubles ($414 million) to rebuild the shattered region.
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