Caucasus - End of Hostilities

news.ert.gr - Sunday 10th of August 2008

Diplomatic initiatives regarding Caucasus are emerging after Russian President’s, Dmitry Medvedev statement about halt of Russian military operations in Georgia.

The Georgian government, however, maintains that Russia continue pounding Georgian villages near South Ossetia. On its part, Russia categorically denies Georgia’s claims. Georgian troops have pulled out from Kondori gorge, a disputed region in Abkhazia, where according to civilians in Georgia, Russian armored vehicles are moving, said Georgian Interior Ministry on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, the Russian President had assured Xavie Solana that hostilities were ending while US ambassador to the UN described the development as positive.

In the meantime, French President, Nikola Sarkozy is having a meting in Moscow with Dmitry Medvedev in the presence of Prime-minister, Vladimir Putin. Before the meeting, the French President said that end of hostilities was "good news" and appealed for implementation of "ceasefire". Next, Nikolas Sarkozy is to fly to Tbilisi for talks with his Georgian counterpart. NATO’s pledge that Georgia will one day become a member of the alliance still stands said NATO general secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Gori Bombed Merciless


Russia expanded its attacks on Georgia on Sunday, moving tanks and troops through the separatist enclave of South Ossetia and advancing toward the city of Gori in central Georgia, in its first direct assault on a Georgian city with ground forces after
three days of heavy fighting, Georgian officials said. Gori was bombed merciless.

Greek state TV Radio network ERT broadcasted pictures of horror in Gori. The car NET journalist Filios Stagos was on was hit. The Georgian driver was heavily injured while a bomb also hit a nearby car killing a Dutch cameraman. While the area has been turned into a living hell, the cameraman of the Greek mission keeps broadcasting shocking scenes and witnesses.

According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees, refugees in S. Ossetia reach 100.000.

Georgia has filed a law suit against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for ethnic cleansing, the secretary of Georgia’s Security Council, Kakha Lomaia, said on Tuesday. "Today, the Georgian ambassador to the Netherlands filed a law suit to the International Court of Justice called ’The state of Georgia against the state of Russia’ because of ethnic cleansing conducted in Georgia by Russia in 1993 to 2008," Lomaia told Reuters.

Diplomatic Marathon

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the European Union on Tuesday he had ordered a halt to military operations in Georgia, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said. "Medvedev in a telephone conversation confirmed to Mr Solana he has given the order to stop military operations. The phone conversation has just now finished," Solana’s spokeswoman, Cristina Gallach, told Reuters.

Medvedev welcomed on Tuesday a peace plan proposed by the European Union
and said it could offer a way to resolve a conflict with Georgia over the separatist region of South Ossetia. "I think these are good principles to settle the problem, to end this dramatic situation. These principles can be used both by Georgia and South Ossetia," Medvedev said at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday urged Russia and Georgia to end hostilities, saying progress apparently had been made toward a ceasefire but it was important that all parties stop fighting.

•   Advertisements

• Home
• About Us
• Contact Us
• Advertising
• Public File
• Login
• Register

© 2008 London Greek Radio. All rights reserved.
This site is operated from England under English Law
For further information see our terms of use, privacy and refund policies.