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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Georgia forced to accept a Russian occupation |
| 2008-08-16 |
| President Saakashvili was forced to accept defeat yesterday as he signed a peace agreement that gives the Russian Army the right to patrol on Georgian soil. In a critical amendment to the ceasefire drawn up by President Sarkozy of France, the Kremlin forced Mr Saakashvili to accept that Russian troops could control a buffer zone of Georgian territory up to 10km beyond the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Mr Saakashvili was humiliated further when the final text of the agreement, delivered personally by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, removed a reference to Russian recognition of Georgia's territorial integrity. It referred only to independence and sovereignty, a day after Ser-gei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the world could forget about Georgia's territorial integrity. After signing the peace agreement, an emotional Mr Saakashvili said defiantly: "A significant part of Georgian territory remains under foreign military occupation. Never, ever will Georgia reconcile itself with the occupation of even one square kilometre of its territory." The US and the European Union appear to have compelled him to accept just that, at least temporarily, in a deal that, in effect, legitimises Russian occupation of Georgia. The West had been insisting that the two sides withdraw their forces to the positions they occupied on August 6, before Georgian troops entered South Ossetia. Now, at Moscow's insistence, Georgia has been forced to accept that Russian "peacekeepers" in South Ossetia have the right to patrol outside the breakaway region. The details were included in a letter signed by President Sarkozy that clarified Russia's security powers. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #11 Well Actually There Ar Contingents Of The Spetsnaz Brigade - WEREWOLFS - in action in Georgia |
| Posted by: linker 2008-08-16 21:33 |
| #10 Never let in: A. Vampires B. Russian "peacekeepers" |
| Posted by: Slats Glans2659 2008-08-16 21:27 |
| #9 One thing has been puzzling me .. if they T[he Rus] are allowed to control the 'Autonomous Districts', do they also include the Autonomous Republic of Adjara? This is located in the South West corner of the country and ..I think.. where the pipline enters Turkey. map link I have read that the Russian Navy Blockaded this Area and that Russian troops approached it but do not know if they occupied it.. and if so Does this new agreement mean they can occupie and control it.. >This site has a link on the Russian blockade ...but this site also talks of.. Russian nukes in S Ossetia and US to Transfer Bio Weapons to Georgia ??/. |
| Posted by: Linker 2008-08-16 20:01 |
| #8 When your president is chewing his own tie, you know it's not good. Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArPEhSsOXa8 |
| Posted by: CobraCommander 2008-08-16 18:15 |
| #7 Russians like buffer zones. Vast buffer zones the size of the Ukraine. Then they need a Poland-sized buffer zone for their Ukrainian buffer zone. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2008-08-16 15:54 |
| #6 Zhang Fei: Yah, Condi knows that Russian peacekeepers were already there, and there they will stay. Why not listen to Condi? The apologists prefer the rhetoric of "occupation," to the facts. There is a clear drift to status quo peace. The difference is that the "Georgia for the Georgians" crowd is beaten and discredited. That's good. Let me speak for the people of Georgia: the nationalists were frauds; they are reckless losers; we hate them; keep us out of your rhetoric prisons; don't make heroes out of those lame ducks. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-08-16 15:52 |
| #5 What was signed is a ceasefire, not a peace agreement. Per a WaPo account of a Rice press conference, Russian troops will be required to leave the non-disputed territories: After arriving here to discuss the deal with Saakashvili and to show U.S. support for Georgia's embattled government, Rice told reporters, "Our most urgent task today is the immediate and orderly withdrawal of Russian armed forces and the return of those forces to Russia." She said that "all Russian troops and any irregular and paramilitary forces that entered with them must leave immediately." The only forces allowed to stay under the cease-fire agreement are Russian peacekeeping troops who were in two breakaway provinces of Georgia before Aug. 6, she said. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-08-16 13:40 |
| #4 Did Georgian troops fight at all? They look like they dumped their gear and ran from the photos. Most of their armor and trucks look like they were set fire right before being photographed. Like they ran out of gas rather than destroyed by fire. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 11:00 |
| #3 Russians like buffer zones. Vast buffer zones the size of the Ukraine. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 2008-08-16 10:40 |
| #2 Why the comment? |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-08-16 08:19 |
| #1 Why all the drama, Saakashvili? |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-08-16 06:22 |
