Conflict Rages between Georgia and Russia

After a Week of Fighting, a Shaky Ceasefire Holds

"The Armenian Weekly", Volume 74, No. 32, August 16, 2007

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.