Русская версияGeorgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has accepted "almost all" of
the EU's proposals to end
its conflict with Russia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
told French radio from Tbilisi.
As a first step, Kouchner, whose nation hold the rotating EU
presidency, and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, head of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), had
proposed a ceasefire to treat all the wounded, Kouchner said.
"The third step for a de-escalation would be the withdrawal of all
troops on both sides, but a withdrawal accompanied by observers,"
he said.
This would be followed by a return to political
negotiations, said Kouchner, who is to travel to Moscow for talks
on Monday.
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Gernot Erler
German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler on Monday meanwhile
called on Russia to end fighting as there was no justification for
further attacks after Georgia declared a ceasefire on Sunday.
Russian officials, however, say that Georgia is not observing the
ceasefire.
"We don't know whether it is being adhered to 100 percent, but it
is time to say that there is
no longer any justification for further military attacks," Erler
told German public radio, adding that the conflict so far had
demonstrated the "clear military superiority of Russian forces."
French FM: US part of conflict
Kouchner meanwhile said that the EU would have to be the chief
negotiator in the conflict since the US "in a sense was part of the
conflict."
The White House on Monday, Aug. 11, said that "Russian
aggression" in the Caucasus region "must not go unanswered," said a
spokeswoman.
US Vice President Dick Cheney "praised (Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili for his government's restraint, offers of cease-fire,
and disengagement of Georgian forces from the zone of conflict in
the South Ossetian region," said Cheney's spokeswoman Lee Anne
McBride.
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The US has sided with Georgia
If it continues, the conflict could have serious implication for
Russia's relations with the US and with the broader international
community, the vice president reportedly said.
From the Olympic Games in Beijing on Monday, US President George W.
Bush said in an interview with NBC Sports that he had he had been
"very firm" with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin regarding
the South Ossetian conflict.
He called Russia's response to Georgia "disproportionate" and urged
that all troops return to the "status quo ante" from Aug. 6.
Reports of Russian attacks
The Georgian Interior Ministry said early Monday that Russian
planes had bombed a military base and radar installation in the
suburbs of its capital city Tbilisi.
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South Ossetian residents fled their homes over the weekend as
Georgia launched attacks
"There were two bombings, one at the Kojori military base and
another on Mt. Makhata," Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota
Utiashvili told Reuters news agency. "As far as I know, there are
no casualties."
On Sunday, the Georgian Interior Ministry claimed that Russia tanks
had crossed the border from South Ossetia into Georgia proper, but
were turned back by Georgian forces.
Russia on Sunday claimed to have sunk a Georgian boat that was
reportedly attempting to attack Russian vessels in the Black Sea
off the coast of Georgia.
After nearly four days of fighting between Georgian and Russian
troops, Russian troops were in control of the South Ossetian
capital Tskhinvali Sunday, when the Georgian government announced a
unilateral ceasefire.
But even as the withdrawal of Georgian forces from Tskhinvali was
confirmed by the Russian military, there were reports of continued
fighting including an attack by Russian jets on Tbilisi's airport.
Moscow, however, denied the report.
Casualty numbers climbing
Russian attacks have come in response to a Georgian offensive
launched overnight Friday to gain control of the breakaway South
Ossetian province.
The pro-Russian territory broke away from Georgia in 1992, shortly
after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and most of its
residents have been granted Russian passports.
Russian Deputy Foreign Ministry Grigory Karasin said more than
2,000 people had been killed in South Ossetia since the fighting
began Friday, reported AP, but the number has not been confirmed.
(Deutsche Welle)
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