Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
International Herald Tribune
October 2, 2008
By Associated Press
STRELNA, Russia--On the day European Union monitors began patrolling Georgian territory, President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia said there were no ideological grounds for a new Cold War, or any other kind of war, with the United States.
Russia's relations with the United States were already at a post-Cold War low when they were further damaged by Russia's war with Georgia, a U.S. ally, in August. Russia has complained vehemently about what it says is a growing U.S. military presence near its borders.
But Medvedev said Wednesday that the Cold War was based on ideological differences between the United States and the Soviet Union. He said that no differences today were strong enough to bring about similar conflict with the United States.
"We do not have such ideological differences around which a new cold or any other kind of war could start," Medvedev said at a news conference after talks with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain outside St. Petersburg, Russia.
European Union monitors began patrolling Georgian territory Wednesday, and Russian troops allowed some of the new monitors into a buffer zone around the breakaway region of South Ossetia, despite earlier warnings from Moscow that they would be blocked.
Russian peacekeepers said Tuesday that none of the 300 observers would immediately be permitted to be in the buffer zone, raising concerns that Moscow was stalling on withdrawing its troops from Georgia as it promised to do after its war with Georgia in August.
But EU monitors, whose job is to observe the cease-fire and the Russian pullback, were quickly allowed to pass through Russian checkpoints Wednesday near two Georgian villages on the perimeter of Moscow's "security zone."
"The situation is very calm," said Ivan Kukushkin, a smiling Russian officer in charge of the checkpoint near Kvenatkotsa.
Russia still plans to keep around 7,600 troops in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the EU and United States consider violations of its cease-fire commitments, and has refused to allow the EU monitors inside the regions themselves.
In Georgia, a spokeswoman for the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, confirmed that the deployment of the European Union monitors was going smoothly and that they had been able to go "wherever they planned to go."
Russia and Georgia agreed to the EU observer mission as part of an updated cease-fire plan following the war, which ended with Russian and separatist forces in control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Russians also dug in on other territory in Georgia.
The war began Aug. 7 when Georgian troops launched an offensive to regain control of South Ossetia. Russia sent troops, which quickly routed the Georgian military and pushed deep into Georgia.
Terrified residents in the village of Karaleti, which was devastated by weeks of looting by South Ossetian militia, said Wednesday that EU monitors had come too late. Vitaly Shavishishvili, 24, and his relatives are now living in a cowshed after looters burned down their two-story house and stole two of their vehicles.
"We only count on ourselves," Shavishishvili said.
As part of the French-brokered cease-fire deal, Moscow agreed to withdraw its forces completely from areas outside of South Ossetia and Abkhazia within 10 days of the EU monitors' deployment - including from a roughly seven-kilometer, or four-mile, buffer zone they have created southward from South Ossetia.
At the Russian checkpoint near the Georgian village of Kvenatkotsa, an armored personnel carrier was parked up the hill near camouflaged tents and there was no sign of any preparations for a Russian troop pullback.
But Medvedev said Moscow would withdraw from the security zones as promised.
"Russian peacekeepers will be fully withdrawn from Georgian territory within the established time frame, as determined in the agreement," Medvedev said after the meeting with Zapatero.
He clearly did not mean Russia would withdraw from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which it has recognized as independent and no longer part of Georgia.
"Show the flag, be friendly, show confidence," Haber told monitors in Basaleti, about 20 kilometers north of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
The EU observers will be based in four semi-permanent locations, including the central city of Gori near South Ossetia and the Black Sea port of Poti, key targets of Russian forces.
Solana, who visited Georgia on Tuesday, expressed optimism that Moscow would pull its troops back within the promised time frame.
Russia's continued occupation of Georgian territory and its subsequent recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have drawn strong condemnation from the West, which urged Moscow to respect Georgia's sovereignty.
Medvedev said Wednesday that the military action was necessary to repel Georgian aggression and protect Russian citizens and peacekeepers in the region.
"We did the right thing," Medvedev said in the Kremlin after giving medals to soldiers who fought in the war. "We have shown that Russia can protect its citizens, that all other nations must reckon with it."
October 2, 2008
By Associated Press
STRELNA, Russia--On the day European Union monitors began patrolling Georgian territory, President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia said there were no ideological grounds for a new Cold War, or any other kind of war, with the United States.
Russia's relations with the United States were already at a post-Cold War low when they were further damaged by Russia's war with Georgia, a U.S. ally, in August. Russia has complained vehemently about what it says is a growing U.S. military presence near its borders.
But Medvedev said Wednesday that the Cold War was based on ideological differences between the United States and the Soviet Union. He said that no differences today were strong enough to bring about similar conflict with the United States.
"We do not have such ideological differences around which a new cold or any other kind of war could start," Medvedev said at a news conference after talks with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain outside St. Petersburg, Russia.
European Union monitors began patrolling Georgian territory Wednesday, and Russian troops allowed some of the new monitors into a buffer zone around the breakaway region of South Ossetia, despite earlier warnings from Moscow that they would be blocked.
Russian peacekeepers said Tuesday that none of the 300 observers would immediately be permitted to be in the buffer zone, raising concerns that Moscow was stalling on withdrawing its troops from Georgia as it promised to do after its war with Georgia in August.
But EU monitors, whose job is to observe the cease-fire and the Russian pullback, were quickly allowed to pass through Russian checkpoints Wednesday near two Georgian villages on the perimeter of Moscow's "security zone."
"The situation is very calm," said Ivan Kukushkin, a smiling Russian officer in charge of the checkpoint near Kvenatkotsa.
Russia still plans to keep around 7,600 troops in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the EU and United States consider violations of its cease-fire commitments, and has refused to allow the EU monitors inside the regions themselves.
In Georgia, a spokeswoman for the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, confirmed that the deployment of the European Union monitors was going smoothly and that they had been able to go "wherever they planned to go."
Russia and Georgia agreed to the EU observer mission as part of an updated cease-fire plan following the war, which ended with Russian and separatist forces in control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Russians also dug in on other territory in Georgia.
The war began Aug. 7 when Georgian troops launched an offensive to regain control of South Ossetia. Russia sent troops, which quickly routed the Georgian military and pushed deep into Georgia.
Terrified residents in the village of Karaleti, which was devastated by weeks of looting by South Ossetian militia, said Wednesday that EU monitors had come too late. Vitaly Shavishishvili, 24, and his relatives are now living in a cowshed after looters burned down their two-story house and stole two of their vehicles.
"We only count on ourselves," Shavishishvili said.
As part of the French-brokered cease-fire deal, Moscow agreed to withdraw its forces completely from areas outside of South Ossetia and Abkhazia within 10 days of the EU monitors' deployment - including from a roughly seven-kilometer, or four-mile, buffer zone they have created southward from South Ossetia.
At the Russian checkpoint near the Georgian village of Kvenatkotsa, an armored personnel carrier was parked up the hill near camouflaged tents and there was no sign of any preparations for a Russian troop pullback.
But Medvedev said Moscow would withdraw from the security zones as promised.
"Russian peacekeepers will be fully withdrawn from Georgian territory within the established time frame, as determined in the agreement," Medvedev said after the meeting with Zapatero.
He clearly did not mean Russia would withdraw from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which it has recognized as independent and no longer part of Georgia.
"Show the flag, be friendly, show confidence," Haber told monitors in Basaleti, about 20 kilometers north of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
The EU observers will be based in four semi-permanent locations, including the central city of Gori near South Ossetia and the Black Sea port of Poti, key targets of Russian forces.
Solana, who visited Georgia on Tuesday, expressed optimism that Moscow would pull its troops back within the promised time frame.
Russia's continued occupation of Georgian territory and its subsequent recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have drawn strong condemnation from the West, which urged Moscow to respect Georgia's sovereignty.
Medvedev said Wednesday that the military action was necessary to repel Georgian aggression and protect Russian citizens and peacekeepers in the region.
"We did the right thing," Medvedev said in the Kremlin after giving medals to soldiers who fought in the war. "We have shown that Russia can protect its citizens, that all other nations must reckon with it."