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Russia: S.Ossetia, Abkhazia independent
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-27 10:01 Russia Tuesday formally recognized the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as two independent states, which is set to challenge the United States and its NATO allies who have been the staunch supporter of Georgia.
"This is not an easy choice, but it is the only way to save the lives of people," Medvedev said in a nationally-televised speech. The top Russian leader said that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had "opted for genocide" when Georgian forces launched a surprise attack on South Ossetia on August 7, prompting Russia to send troops and tanks deep inside Georgia for a counter-offensive attack. In Tbilisi, Georgian President Saakashvili assailed the Russian move as an "attempt to wipe Georgia from the map" and promised to wage a peaceful struggle to win back the two territories. The decision was greeted with bursts of gunfire on the streets of South Ossetia and Abkhazia but the United States said they were considering retaliatory measures. US President George W. Bush called on Russia to reconsider the "irresponsible decision." The European Union said it "strongly condemned" the move and a statement from the French EU presidency said the 27-nation bloc would now "examine from this point of view the consequences of Russia's decision." A White House spokesman said the US was "looking at a variety of options with regard to consequences for Russia's behavior in Georgia, its aggression in Georgia." The move was seen as cementing Russia's military gains in the Caucasus following the five-day conflict with Georgian forces. Amid a hail of Western criticism, Medvedev was unapologetic, saying: "We're not afraid of anything." "We will do everything we can to avoid" a new Cold War, he said in an interview to French LCI television. But he added: "If they want relations to worsen, they will get it." Fears of an escalation were rife, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner saying: "We fear a war and we don't want one." His German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier said all sides were "playing with fire" and urged: "The spiral of provocation must stop, and immediately." Britain's Foreign Minister David Miliband said the announcement "further inflames an already tense situation in the region." Russia accused the US and some European countries of starting to rebuild Georgia's military with fresh arms deliveries. "The United States and some European capitals are promising Saakashvili defence by NATO, calling for the re-arming of the Tbilisi regime and already starting new arms deliveries to him," a foreign ministry statement said. In his televised address, Saakashvili shot back at Moscow and said his country would step up its campaign to join NATO. Russia seeks to "break the Georgian state, undermine the fundamental values of Georgia and to wipe Georgia from the map," he said. Russia has drawn a direct comparison between South Ossetia and Abkhazia, on the one hand, and Kosovo, whose aspirations for independence from Serbia were supported militarily and diplomatically by the West. The US embassy in Tbilisi announced that a US navy destroyer carrying humanitarian aid was headed to the Georgian port of Poti, but later backtracked, saying it could no longer confirm the operation. A senior Russian general condemned a build-up of NATO ships in the Black Sea. The world's second-largest oil producer, Russia is also a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and plays a central role in efforts to solve global problems such as the controversy over Iran's nuclear program. |
