Medvedev Orders Ceasefire in South Ossetia, Russia Cancels Meeting with NATO

ccun.org Editor's Note:

Several TV stations reported that Russia cancelled the meeting with NATO because of the absence of the US delegation, which was supposed to be part of the NATO delegation. However, news reports confirmed that the ceasefire took place with Russian forces staying in their positions inside Georgia.

Medvedev orders ceasefire in South Ossetia

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-12 18:29:45

MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) --

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Tuesday an end to military operations in South Ossetia, the Interfax news agency reported.

At a meeting with the Russian defense minister and the head of the Russian general staff, the president said, "I have made a decision to stop the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace."

Medvedev said Russia had achieved its aim in the region and the security of Russian peacekeepers and civilians had been restored. "The aggressor was punished and sustained considerable losses."

However, Medvedev was also reported to have ordered the Russian military to "eliminate the aggressor" in case Georgian forces resume hostilities.

The Itar-Tass news agency said that Deputy Chief of General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn had confirmed the ceasefire order, saying Russia is awaiting Georgia's reaction to the statement by the Russian president.

Nogovitsyn said the Russian military will not stop all actions on Georgian territory and will punish "provocative actions."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrived in Moscow Tuesday, said the decision was "good news," and urged the ceasefire to be implemented.

Georgia began a military action against South Ossetia's forces last week in an attempt to re-establish control over the region. In response, Russian troops moved into the region to fight the Georgian forces.

Russia calls for urgent meeting with NATO over South Ossetia

ccun.org Editor's Note:

Several TV stations reported that Russia cancelled the meeting with NATO because of the absence of the US delegation, which was supposed to be part of the NATO delegation.

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-11 23:45:48

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) --

Russia was calling for an extraordinary meeting with NATO so that the alliance can be informed of Moscow's moves in South Ossetia, said Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin on Monday.

Russia asked NATO to take into account the information given by Moscow before the alliance makes any decisions or statements, Rogozin said, warning that NATO's involvement in the conflict would change the relations between Russia and NATO.

He said genocide was taking place in Georgia's breakaway region South Ossetia and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is responsible for the "war crimes."

Meanwhile, Georgia's Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili was scheduled to attend a meeting of NATO's North Atlantic Council in Brussels on Tuesday.

South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia, a former Soviet republic, in the early 1990s and it has been controlled by a secessionist government since then, but its independence has not been internationally recognized.

On Friday, Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia's forces in an attempt to re-establish control over the region. In response, Russian troops moved into the region to fight the Georgian forces.

Leaders of some Western countries on Monday urged Georgia and Russia to end hostilities and sit down for talks as soon as possible.

"Russian and Georgian forces must immediately cease hostilities throughout Georgia and return to their Aug. 6 positions," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.

"Military force will not resolve this dispute. The only viable long-term solution is international mediation and peacekeeping," he added.

U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday called for an end to the war in Georgia, saying a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of the bloody fighting could cripple Moscow's ties with the West.

"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century," Bush said in a statement at the White House.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russia's actions in South Ossetia are absolutely justified from a legal point of view.

"In line with effective international agreements, including the1992 agreement, Russia not only performs peacekeeping functions but in case of violation of the ceasefire agreement by one side is obliged to protect the other, which we did in this case with regard to South Ossetia," Putin said at a meeting in Vladikavkaz, regional capital of southern Russia's North Ossetia. He flew to Vladikavkaz from the Beijing Olympics.

According to the prime minister, the destruction caused by Georgia's offensive in South Ossetia was massive, describing the situation as "humanitarian catastrophe."

Some 34,000 refugees had crossed from South Ossetia to Russia from Aug. 2-9, and at least 12 of Russia's peacekeepers along with 2,000 South Ossetian civilians lost their lives, according to Russian official sources.

The Georgian side said Sunday 130 Georgian civilians and military personnel had been killed and 1,000 wounded.

The United Nations Security Council discussed the conflict between Russian and Georgia at UN headquarters on Monday.

Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, rejected a French-drafted proposal that called for an immediate truce between Russia and Georgia and for the mutual troop withdrawal from the conflict zone.

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