Friday, August 15, 2008

Wars & Rumors of Wars

Georgia (AP) — Russian forces bombed and looted the crossroads city of Gori on Wednesday in a clear violation of a French-brokered truce, Georgian officials said. A convoy later was seen rolling out of Gori and deeper into Georgia. Several dozens of Russian military trucks and armored vehicles sped out of Gori and were seen heading in the direction of the Georgian capital, deeper into Georgia, in violation of the agreement. The truce requires Russia to withdraw its troops to the positions they held before the conflict over the breakaway province of South Ossetia broke out last week.

After five days of deadly fighting, Russia appears to have achieved what it wanted: It reclaimed two semi-independent regions from neighboring Georgia and showed that the West is powerless to stop it, analysts said Tuesday. Russian leaders are "sending a message," said Jeffrey Mankoff, adjunct fellow for Russia studies with the Council on Foreign Relations. "They're back, and they're willing to stand up for their interests. … And the West doesn't have a lot of options." Russian troops appeared to be still in control of a key Georgian city Thursday as Moscow declined to give any timetable for the withdrawal of its forces from the disputed Georgian enclave of South Ossetia.

Explosions were heard near Gori on Thursday as a Russian troop withdrawal from the strategic city seemed to collapse. A fragile cease-fire appeared even more shaky as Russia's foreign minister declared that the world "can forget about any talk about Georgia's territorial integrity." The declaration from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came simultaneously with the announcement that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was meeting in the Kremlin with the leaders of Georgia's two separatist provinces.

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