No subject

which frankly would make the most sense from their standpoint in my =
opinion. Further the NYT online is claiming that the Georgian president =
has accepted a cease-fire, but that Russia has not responded yet.=20

It occurs to me that the return of Georgian troops from Iraq may have =
been agreed to by Russia in this context, since in fact, without =
consulting the Russians, it is hard to prevent shoot-downs of US =
aircraft in a war zone where Russian bombers and associated aircraft are =
active.
Fred Feldman


Russia says attacks on Georgia will end soon
Dimitry Medvedev remains defiant over military action in South Ossetia =
despite widespread condemnation
Monday August 11 2008 11:41=20

The Russian president, Dimitry Medvedev, today said military operations =
in South Ossetia were nearing their conclusion, according to the Russian =
agency Interfax.

However, despite sharp criticism from the US and Nato, Moscow was =
unrepentant about its armed punishment of Georgia.

Tbilisi said up to 50 Russian bombers had attacked its territory =
overnight, with one Russian bomb reported to have landed near the =
capital's civilian airport shortly after the French foreign minister, =
Bernard Kouchner, had landed.

Britain has condemned the Russian attacks as "deplorable" while Nato's =
secretary general today joined George Bush in criticising Russia over =
its "disproportionate" use of force against Georgia in the Caucasus.

A Nato spokeswoman said the Nato head, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, was =
"seriously concerned" about Russia's "lack of respect for the =
territorial integrity of Georgia", the former Soviet republic that Nato =
leaders declared in April would one day be a member of the alliance.

The statement followed Bush's comments to a US sports broadcaster in =
Beijing, where he was watching the Olympics. He said he had spoken =
firmly to the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, who has been =
directing the Kremlin's actions in Georgia.

"I was very firm with Vladimir Putin," Bush told NBC Sports. "I =
expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of =
Russia. We strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia."

Russia accused Georgia of violating its own ceasefire in the breakaway =
region. Moscow justified beefing-up its forces in a second separatist =
region, Abkhazia, as an attempt to prevent a repeat of what it called =
Georgia's "genocide" in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

In a move that could widen the conflict, Russia said it had boosted its =
forces in the Black Sea region to 9,000. Peacekeeping agreements allow =
it to have only 2,500 troops there. Moscow has flown in heavy artillery =
for the last two days and its Black Sea fleet is blockading the coast.

"The strengthening of the peacekeeping force is aimed at ruling out a =
repetition of the situation Russian peacekeepers faced in Tskhinvali, " =
Alexander Novitsky, the commander of the Russian peacekeepers, told =
Interfax. "Our troops have to defend civilians and avert a humanitarian =
catastrophe."

Russia says 2,000 civilians were killed and thousands made homeless when =
Georgia attacked South Ossetia last week in an attempt to bring =
separatists to heel. Witness accounts suggest the death toll was very =
high.

Abkhazian fighters were blocking Georgian troops in the Kodori Valley, =
the last part of Abkhazia still controlled by Tbilisi. Russian =
peacekeepers issued an ultimatum to Georgia to lay down its arms in the =
Zugdidi district bordering Abkhazia, but the Georgians refused, =
according to Interfax.

The French and Finnish foreign ministers, who visited Tbilisi last =
night, were due in Moscow today hoping to persuade Russia that its =
retaliation against Georgia had gone far enough.

In a phone call to the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, the US =
vice-president, Dick Cheney, said Russian aggression must not go =
unanswered and that there would be serious consequences for its =
relations with the west if Moscow persisted.

Cheney did not spell out what sanctions might follow, but threatening =
Russia with expulsion from the G8 - something the Republican =
presidential candidate, John McCain, has advocated in the past - might =
be considered.

On Sunday, a Russian defence spokesman said the army was not planning to =
push beyond the borders of disputed South Ossetia. "We do not plan to =
break into Georgian territory beyond the borders marked to the =
peacekeepers," Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn told reporters.

But the momentum provided by the war may tempt the Kremlin to overthrow =
the Tblisi regime, which is pro-western and wants to join Nato despite =
Russia's objections.

The European commission is providing =E2=82=AC1m (=C2=A3783,000) in =
humanitarian aid for civilians caught up in the fighting in South =
Ossetia. The aid and development commissioner, Louis Michel, said the =
commission was "extremely concerned" about the fighting. He called for =
an immediate end to hostilities and said it was crucial to guarantee =
safe access for aid and "safe passage" for displaced civilians.