Washington Calls Moscow’s Intent to Remove Saakashvili “Unacceptable”

Hoo Boy! Let me tell you, the pixie dust’s flying in Washington. They’re saying that Moscow’s intent to remove Saakashvili is “unacceptable”. I kid you not! I seem to recall that in Serbia in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq in 2003, that was precisely Washington’s intent. In fact, Washington used a kangaroo court against Milošević and Saddam (and used local surrogates to hang the latter). Why is Washington getting on the moral high horse? Régime change is nothing they haven’t done before, and more often! Besides, be careful when you mount the moral high horse, it goes where it wills, not necessarily where you wish to go. Washington’s support for Saakashvili the Bloody is clearer by the day. Remember, if you support Georgia, you place the blood of murdered Ossetians upon your hands freely and voluntarily. Bush and Rice have done so, gleefully smearing the blood of the murdered Ossetians over their hands… shall you? Click here, it proves that Washington is indeed talking such insanity. It’s utter rot, but, it documents what I say. Pray for the suffering people of Ossetia, pray for the souls of the murdered Ossetians, and pray for the defeat of the hubristic Bushies, they have stepped over the line into the defence of evil. God have mercy on America for such an evil action. Have we sunk that low? If I hear “move on” one more time, I’m going to hurl, and I do daresay that I have much company. America no longer has any moral vision. It did once have it. This is the inevitable end-result of the rise of secular nihilism, and one can see why most of the world hates America. If you support Bush in this, I hope that the dead of Ossetia haunt you in your dreams and that you can’t sleep. As for me… I sleep well.

PS:

I’ll be returning to my usual format as soon as the war is over. To think that I thought that August was going to be a slow month… God disposes!

Vara Drezhlo

Sunday 10 August 2008

Albany NY

Foreign Ministry: The West Must Face the Truth

Negative judgements in Washington of the actions of Russia in South Ossetia caused understandable criticism in Moscow. At the same time, Moscow hopes that the West shall understand the truth of the situation.

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The firm response of Russia to the invasion of South Ossetia by Georgia has become a serious trial in Moscow’s relations with the West, particularly, with the USA. On Sunday, leading Russian diplomats gave a press conference. Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin stated, “The present position taken by the West is a disappointment. Yet again, in the present situation, the West missed an opportunity to prove that they have moved beyond the clichés, the double standards, and the subjectivity of the recent past”. In his view, “Strangely, the voice of the West was silent and muted in the first hours of the invasion of South Ossetia, and, then, as if on command, certain countries started to engage in criticism and tried to actually obstruct the efforts of the Russian forces to compel the invader to stand down, bringing into question their purpose, methods, and motives”. He went on to say, “This brings up very serious questions concerning their sincerity in their relations with us, and we shall bear this in mind when we carry on discussions and negotiations dealing with world order”.

Previously, the US State Department accused Russia of using disproportionate force and not being serious [in using diplomacy] in connection with the South Ossetian conflict. The White House called the Russian actions “dangerous and unacceptable”. “We are disturbed by the situation”, US deputy National Security adviser James Jefferys told journalists in Beijing. He added that the USA told Russia clearly that if it continues to escalate the conflict in South Ossetia, it would impair relations between Washington and Moscow.

In reply, Mr Karasin stated in Moscow that Russia intended to state its strong disagreement with the statements of the US State Department as regards the Russian actions in South Ossetia. “Naturally, our reaction is negative. I am convinced that we shall say such in the telephone conversation now going on between Foreign Minister Lavrov and Condoleezza Rice”, he said. “We have had many contacts with the Americans lately. However, a statement is a statement, and we are going to give an official answer to it”, he said.

Many experts believe that the key to the ending of the bloodshed of South Ossetia is located in Washington. In particular, Sergei Karaganov, the head of the Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, believes that the fastest way to end the shooting in the Georgian invasion is to involve the USA in the negotiations. “We can end this crisis quickly, if the USA and Russia come to an understanding. Someone must bring Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili under control”, Mr Karaganov said to Interfax.

In the opinion of Mr Karasin, the reports of Western media outlets have led to a distorted picture of the actions of Russia in the conflict. “We would like to see not only pictures of Russian tanks, reports about the advance of Russian troops into South Ossetia, and the fact that Russia is at war with Georgia on Western television screens. They should also show the suffering of the Ossetian people, the bodies of the dead old people and children, the devastated villages, and the ruins of Tskhinvali, which is destroyed almost to the last time. This would be an objective presentation of the evidence. Anything is nothing but political manipulation of the facts”, he said.

He called the international community to place pressure on Georgia, to force it to honour its obligations under existing ceasefire agreements. “The international community must put pressure on Georgia so that it would withdraw its forces to the positions that were occupied on 6 August and that it would honour its obligations concerning the renunciation of force. Only after this, shall it be possible to begin contacts and negotiations, which, undoubtedly, shall be extremely complicated”, Mr Karasin said.

Some observers believe that the increasingly active diplomatic efforts of some European countries give grounds to hope that a point of contact shall be found. On Sunday, as the presiding member of the EU, France proposed a plan for a ceasefire in South Ossetia. In a speech broadcast on television, French President Nicolas Sarkozy revealed that his plan calls for both sides to pull back to the positions they held before hostilities began and to return the region to the status it had prior to the war. He added that he discussed the situation in South Ossetia with official representatives of Georgia, Great Britain, the Ukraine, Spain, and Italy. He also intends to speak with the leaders of Russia, Germany, Poland, and the USA. Meanwhile, he alleged that all the members of the EU are calling for an immediate ceasefire. It is expected that the foreign ministers of the EU shall hold an extraordinary session covering the situation in South Ossetia at the beginning of next week.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a telephone conversation with M Sarkozy on Sunday, asked him to call “without delay and unconditionally introduce a ceasefire in the Caucasus”, Thomas Schteg, the press secretary of the chancellor reported. Furthermore, he said, Chancellor Merkel called for all military units to fall back to “the positions that were occupied prior to the conflict”. She insisted on the need “for the preservation of the territorial integrity of Georgia”.

At the same time, many European leaders criticise Russia for its actions in the Caucasus. In particular, the Finnish Foreign Minister, Alexander Shtubb, stated that Russia is no longer a mediator in the South Ossetian negotiations. “Russia is a combatant, not a mediator, and this must be reflected at the moment we begin ceasefire negotiations for an armistice”, Mr Shtubb said at a press conference the day before in Helsinki.

In Moscow, surprise was expressed at the reaction of the OSCE to the events of the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia. “It is difficult for me to judge Mr Shtubb’s position, based on this statement”, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko stated on Sunday to Interfax. He stated that Russia was merely acting in accordance with its obligations under the 1992 agreement, which prescribes it to “provide supervision for the maintenance of the ceasefire and the withdrawal of military units. This is precisely what the OSCE must demand from the Georgian side. It must completely and unconditionally withdraw its forces from the conflict zone and immediately sign a legally-binding non-aggression agreement”, Mr Grushko said.

In his turn, Mr Karasin emphasised that the Foreign Ministry insists that there be formal documentation of the obligations of Georgia as regards the renunciation of force against South Ossetia. “These obligations must be embodied in an official document. Unfortunately, it is necessary to stipulate such things in writing because the events of the beginning of August prove that no one can believe any oral statement emanating from the Georgian leadership”, he said.

10 August 2008

Interfax

Vladimir Shishlin

http://www.interfax.ru/politics/txt.asp?id=26308

Editor’s Note:

I can only shake my head. The Americans and Western Europeans are living in a fantasy-land created by Baron Munchausen, the Tooth Fairy, Uncle William, and Hieronymus Bosch. Oh, yes… I forgot; the Easter Bunny and the Great Oz live next door…

There is nothing but a disconnect with reality in their proposals. Dream on, M Sarkozy! A return to the status quo ante bellum is impossible, so, why propose such nonsense? Angela Merkel is another toothless tiger, to be sure. She is going to be ignored. Why? One word… Gazprom. Yes, Mr Shtubb… threaten Russia… you are from the great power of Finland. How many divisions does Finland have and how many ICBMs?

In short, they are pygmies who do not have the military power to intervene, and they are fatally-dependent on Russian gas and oil shipments. Gazprom is worth as much as all the armaments of Russia. France and Germany shall fall in line, just as they did when Russia told them privately to oppose NATO membership for Georgia and the Ukraine. They can bleat all they will. Repeat after me… GAZPROM. That is why the Western Europeans shall cave.

Do not forget how this war began. The Georgians turned their guns on unsuspecting colleagues in the peacekeeping force. By now, the word of this treachery has flashed throughout the Russian forces and through most of the country as well. To be clear, there is a determination to pay the Georgians back in their own sorry coin. In addition, the Russian forces are helping to bury the civilian dead. I can just hear one of the soldiers now, “Don’t worry, baba, we’ll get the bastards three times over for what they did!” Believe me, they shall, and all the pin-striped diplomats and wordy therapists in the world are not going to stop it.

The Georgians deliberately targeted civilians from the first. As Prime Minister Putin said, “It’s total genocide. This is nothing but madness. Civilised people do not behave like this”. We are to sit down with such filth because America wills it? Do think again. America is going to be humbled, for it has no troops to send, even if it were mad enough to do so, and no money to fund operations. Russia is going to do as it wills, and no one shall be able to say boo. The blood of the innocents shall be avenged. As we speak, 150 Russian investigators are documenting Georgian atrocities. Saakashvili and his criminal clique shall end in chains; let the West and its squeamishness be damned. The sooner their lives are ended, the better it shall be for decent humanity.

The blood of the innocents cry before God for vengeance… and California nihilist Americans sweetly tell us to “move on”. Excuse me… whilst I hurl in disgust.

BMD

The Russian Government says that Georgia Committed Genocide in South Ossetia

Moscow finds the actions of the Georgian government in South Ossetia genocidal, and it offered aid to the region. Tbilisi asserts that all it is doing is restoring “constitutional order”. After the invasion of South Ossetia by Georgian troops on 8 August, the scope of the human suffering was immense. The Georgians shelled the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali with artillery, mortars, tank guns, and Grad multiple-rocket-launchers. Georgian snipers deliberately targeted innocent civilians. The greater part of the city has been devastated, and the South Ossetian government reports that some 2,000 civilians have been killed by the Georgians. 12 Russian soldiers of the peacekeeping force were killed, and 150 were wounded. Units of the 58^th Army arrived in the region to relieve the beleaguered garrison. In accordance with existing international agreements, including the ceasefire accord of 1999, Russia not only plays a role as a peacekeeper, it is obliged to come to the aid of the attacked party in the case of a breach of the ceasefire,

From the Olympiad to War

On Saturday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia, after cutting short his official visit to the Beijing Olympics, to discuss the problems involved in rendering aid to South Ossetia due to the Georgian invasion. Upon arrival, he gave a news conference, where he stated, “The Georgian government committed a crime against their own people when they invaded South Ossetia. The actions of Russia are firmly based in international law and legitimate. Russia shall always have enormous respect for the fraternal Georgian people, in spite of the criminal policy of the present government. I am confident, in spite of the tragedy that we see today, that this relationship shall continue in the future, notwithstanding the criminal policy of the present rulers of Georgia”.

Furthermore, the prime minister detailed the humanitarian aid programme that Russia is readying for South Ossetia. For the rebuilding of housing, 10 billion roubles (413 million USD. 275 million euros. 215 million UK pounds) are set aside in the federal budget. Additionally, 500 million roubles (20.645 million USD. 13.747 million euros. 10.741 million UK pounds) are budgeted for the immediate aid of Ossetian refugees in North Ossetia. Between 2 and 9 August, some 34,000 refugees from South Ossetia fled into Russia.

Mr Putin visited a mobile hospital of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Alagire in North Ossetia that is treating wounded South Ossetian civilians. He visited several of the tent wards and chatted with the post-operative patients, wishing them all a speedy recovery. He also visited a refugee camp in the vicinity of the town, which had 436 Ossetian residents.

Total Genocide

Mr Putin heard from refugees descriptions of the atrocities committed by Georgian soldiers. In a village in Znaursky raion, the Georgians burnt several girls alive in one of the houses, according to the accounts of eyewitnesses. “They drove them in like cattle, shut them up in the house, and set it on fire. We saw a tank run over an old baba that was running together with two kids. We saw a body of one of the kids crushed into the earth”, some of the refugees told Mr Putin.

“It’s total genocide”, Mr Putin said. “This is nothing but madness. Civilised people do not behave like this”, he said.

A young woman refugee, who had lost her husband, and had a toddler, told Mr Putin that her father-in-law was still in South Ossetia, and that she did not know what had happened to him. At the same time, she emphasised that “Ossetians shall not be defeated and we shall fight until the end”.

The refugees assured Mr Putin, “Have no doubts, we are going to return, and we are going to rebuild our city”. They added, “The most important thing is to end the fighting”.

Minister of Emergency Situations Shoigu went to Vladikavkaz

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Vladikavkaz on Saturday to coordinate the humanitarian aid efforts for the victims of the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia. President Dmitri Medvedev had personally given him this task earlier on Saturday morning. “The task facing us is to ameliorate the consequences of this human tragedy… in this case, those officials who created these conditions must bear complete responsibility for their actions, including the violations of international law that are involved”, Mr Medvedev stated at a press conference. President Medvedev directed government agencies to take all steps necessary for rendering timely humanitarian assistance to the people of South Ossetia.

Up to the present moment, some 6 tons of medicine, surgical dressings, and hospital supplies have been delivered to South Ossetia, plus two groups of medical specialists were flown in to render aid on the spot. An additional 15 tons of medical supplies are ready for shipment. 1,098 refugees are patients in hospital in North Ossetia, however, this figure is fluid, and the data changes constantly. There have been responses to the call to accept refugees by regions around Russia, 200 people have been taken in by Rostov oblast and 106 people were accepted by Kabardino-Balkaria.

Exchange of Proposals

Russia demanded that Georgia “immediately end its invasion of South Ossetia, to cease violating all previous peace agreements and ceasefires, and respect the inherent rights and interests of all the peoples in the region”. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili claimed that he proposed a ceasefire to President Dmitri Medvedev. “I gave a proposal to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to stop this madness”, Mr Saakashvili said, according to the Georgian media (yes, Mr Saakashvili, YOU started the madness, are you scared because you are LOSING? Editor’s note).

Meanwhile, the press service of the Kremlin reported that no such proposal was directed to Mr Medvedev by the usual channels. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Ministry also stated that they did not receive any such proposal from the Georgian president. “It seems to us that this proposal would be completely logical if it proceeded from the Georgian president, but, there must be a strict adherence to two preliminary conditions. Firstly, all Georgian forces must withdraw from the conflict zone. Secondly, Georgia must immediately conclude a nonaggression pact with South Ossetia”, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, according to a RIA-Novosti report. “Only if they did this would we be able to talk about the future”, Mr Karasin added.

Mr Medvedev Explained the situation to Mr Bush

The situation in South Ossetia remains the main theme of discussions of President Medvedev with foreign leaders. On Saturday, Mr Medvedev spoke with President George Bush of the USA on the telephone. He explained to Mr Bush that Russia is only using enough force to compel the Georgians to stand down and protect the lives and honour of its citizens. Mr Medvedev said that Russia is mainly guided by the considerations of ending the violence, defending the innocent civilian population (the majority of whom are Russian citizens), and coming to a quick peace settlement. The press service of the Kremlin reported that Mr Medvedev emphasised that Georgia carried out an invasion against innocent civilians and Russian peacekeeping troops.

“The results of the premeditated and accomplished barbarities of the Georgian leadership resulted in thousands of human victims, tens of thousands of refugees, mass destruction, and, in fact, the denial of the right to life of an entire people”, the press release read. President Medvedev stressed that the only solution acceptable to this crisis fomented by the Georgian leadership is the withdrawal of all Georgian units from the conflict zone, a return to the observance of previous agreements, and, most of all, the signing of a legally-binding non-aggression pact by Georgia.

Mr Medvedev expressed the hope that the USA and other countries that are interested in the establishment of peace and stability in the Caucasus shall act according to these principles. In turn, Mr Bush expressed his serious concern at the state of affairs in the region and called upon Russia to deescalate the situation. Mr Bush also stated that he hoped to contribute to the return of the situation to a diplomatic solution.

10 August 2008

RIA-Novosti

http://www.rian.ru/politics/20080810/150235861.html

Editor’s Note:

I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Putin. “It’s total genocide. This is nothing but madness. Civilised people do not behave like this”. I also agree with President Medvedev, “The task facing us is to ameliorate the consequences of this human tragedy… in this case, those officials who created these conditions must bear complete responsibility for their actions, including the violations of international law that are involved”.

Yes, I agree with Mr Medvedev to the last detail. Saakashvili and all the others in his criminal cabal must be put in chains, tried in Moscow, and hung in public on Red Square. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov is right. Saakashvili is a Hitler and must be treated accordingly. Americans are fooled by the Georgian CNN campaign. I have seen too many photos of dead and maimed Ossetian kids over the last 48 hours.

The dead cry out! Can’t you hear them? This baby-faced murderer killed them in cold blood. Don’t you have a soul?

I shall be honest. I would say my prayers, give a good confession, and receive absolution. Then, I would slip the noose about Saakashvili’s neck without compunction or pity and spring the trap with utterly no emotion.

God have mercy on us all.

BMD