| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russia says Georgian attack negated UN resolutions |
| 2008-08-27 |
| The Kremlin decision to recognize two breakaway Georgian regions as independent states was justified because Georgia's attack on South Ossetia negated U.N. resolutions guaranteeing Georgian territorial integrity, a Russian envoy said Tuesday. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's military actions had created a "new reality" both for South Ossetia and another separatist Georgian province, Abkhazia. Moscow's announcement earlier Tuesday drew strong criticism from Georgia, the United States and the European Union, but Churkin said he didn't think Russia's move would lead to a new Cold War with the West. "I'm sure there's going to be a rather difficult period in our discussions," he said. "If it goes in the direction of aggravating relations it's not going to be our choice. But I want to remind you that Cold War was a completely different beast, when we were really at each other's throats in a big way internationally, and this is not going to happen under any circumstances." Churkin met with reporters to read a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry explaining the decision to back independence for the two regions. Asked later how the action squared with U.N. Security Council resolutions supported by Russia affirming Georgia's territorial integrity, Churkin said: "Their use of force against South Ossetia clearly dashed all of those previous resolutions and created a completely new reality." Churkin said Russia is "only reinforcing the desire of the people in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to obtain their independence." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Or South Ossetia attacks on Georgia, whichever way you want to play it. I'd be keeping careful notes of these arguements if I were Israel. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-08-27 13:58 |