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Georgia calls for UN Security Council action on Russia (2nd Roundup)
Aug 28, 2008, 15:56 GMT
Georgian servicemen carry coffins containing bodies of unidentified Georgian soldiers killed in the South Ossetia conflict zone during a funeral ceremony in Tbilisi, Georgia, 28 August 2008. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, condemned the decision by Russia to recognize the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on 26 August. EPA/ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE
Vienna - Georgia's foreign minister called on the UN Security Council on Thursday to take action against Russia, alleging it had breached international security by its action in her country.
At a special meeting of the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, both Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili and Russian representative Anvar Azimov traded allegations of ethnic cleansing in Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Tkeshelashvili said the Security Council should act under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which deals with non-military and military sanctions to restore peace and security.
'It is not only a threat to international security, but a breach of it,' Tkeshelashvili said, referring to Russia's military involvement in Georgia and its recognition of Georgia's separatist provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The minister also claimed Russian forces had conducted ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia.
'The territory previously known in Soviet times as South Ossetia is completely cleansed of remnants of the Georgian population,' she said. In the buffer zone around the breakaway province, ethnic cleansing was ongoing, she added.
Russian forces had acted together with ethnic Ossetian, Cossack, and Chechen militias in killing young men, raping and driving away women, as well as destroying villages and fields, Tkeshelashvili said.
Russian representative Azimov told reporters after the meeting that there was 'no evidence of ethnic cleansing' of Georgians in South Ossetia, while accusing the other side of having committed such crimes.
Stressing the process of independence for the two Georgian regions was 'irreversible,' Azimov said it was now up to South Ossetian authorities to deal with such allegations.
Asked when Russian forces would leave areas around South Ossetia, Azimov said that 'sooner or later we will leave these territories.'
In its meeting, the Permanent Council of the OSCE, the organization's decision-making body, did not formally discuss the outstanding modalities of sending up to 100 additional observers to Georgia, a diplomat said.
By Thursday evening, the Vienna-based organization will increase the number of monitoring officers to 22, a spokesman said.
The 56 OSCE members still have to agree on where in Georgia the officers will be deployed for observing the ceasefire between Russian and Georgian forces, as Moscow has so far refused to allow them in South Ossetia.
It was up to South Ossetia whether to allow in OSCE monitors, the Russian representative said, adding that according to the Russian military, 'for security reasons it is not the time' to do so.
Both Georgia's foreign minister and the United States' representative at the OSCE, Julie Finley, said monitoring officers should have access to the whole of Georgia.
'In our view, Russia's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia again raises serious questions about its intentions vis-a-vis Georgia and in the region,' Finley said.
With this decision, Moscow was undercutting its ceasefire agreement with Georgia, which calls for international discussions on the future of these two regions, the US diplomat added.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
We have started a free for all becoming NAZI America, why should the Russkie's act any different. Torture, murder, just call them terrorist threats, you know the guys on camels we American's sold our freedom too. Russia invades as an aggressor nation, does this bother the Iraq invasion group, a war of aggression based on false propaganda, and no not Russia are we referring too but the former USA. So, off to Siberia with dissenters, people who look different, ethic cleansing, it sounds so green. In America we are different then the Soviets, when they violate law and principles, they just do it, offering no BS, we American's like to think we are doing the right thing, so we swallow. Wake up America, our country is a sell out of the wrong values; a wave of this behavior will now appear globally, your children the casualty, unless they are part of some elitist group. Welcome lawlessness from the top, laws to protect leaders and their lawyers from war crimes and atrocities of humankind. We are the role model to the once free world, a role where democracy equals torture, lies, violations of law, etc. The new America, NAZI America, is what we have now set other nations to follow, we can invade anyone for any reason, why should they not? The next election, more of the same but dissent mounts all around the guilty. Election fraud allowed to flourish right under your nose and you raise not fit, why should Russians. The Russkie’s call their friends in China and world pogrom is on, the big III but we are part of the bad guys, let us throw nukes at the party for a big bang.
We should show Russia the right way a democracy works by grabbing our leaders heads in the US, politicians to the top, court jesters from the top, business leaders from the top, lawyers that have all devised anti constitutional law for personal gain and kill them. This is after all what the Constitution demands we do when our leaders corrupt and worse corrupt the system. On the other hand, we, and more apathetically our children, will suffer and they deserve it for our complacency if we allow our leaders to do it right in front of faces. I personally will pay for blindfolds and bullets for those found guilty of war crimes or high crimes and misdemeanors against the nation; I would have fried half these guys for exposing Plame or on the torture violations alone. These leaders are not only cowards but also criminals who have hijacked democracy, the Justice Department, the Courts and I say we start an ethnic cleansing of them, just as they do to others, a 'tit for a tat.'
These leaders are sick and wrong and for personal gain, not public. They have infiltrated government in a coup and I believe with our joining the behavior we once condemned (i.e. torture, expose spies, wars of aggression), the actions our soldiers have died to protect us from since the beginning of Democracy, we expose the world to grave danger for the benefit of a few. The few must die, usurped of power.
Is the right to bomb, destroy and occupy other countries solely belongs to the West?
Regardless, the next to come, save the WWIII, are:
- Division of Ukraine with Crimea back to Russia as it always was
- Division of Moldova with northern part back to Russia as it always was
- Breakdown of NATO after defeat in Afganistan, as it was supposed to be after the end of Cold War
How quickly we forget!!!
I sympathize with your opinions on this subject, and I'd probably have said the same things myself if we weren't talking about Russia here. But this is not 'The Fear of the Unknown', 'Fear of the Other', competition or Jingoism in any way. This is a people with a consistently horrible track record. Please read a history book! You're like Chamberlain claiming 'Peace in our time!', folks.
I say it's time for war.
There's something profoundly brutish and wrong-o in the Russian national character that makes it best kept chained and at a distance. There probably still will be for a century or more before time changes it, if it ever does (I certainly hope so, there's always hope).
Those people long for the leadership of a monster, are totally nostalgic about a beyond-brutal psychotic absolute leader that is responsible for the murder, mostly under atrocious circumstances, of 22 MILLION OF HIS OWN COUNTRYMEN! Hitler was a pussycat compared to Stalin! Now they've got this little ex KGB monster of a leader and they're rarin' to go again.
Is that who you would want to conquer your country? Would you wish that upon anybody? Even idiots like... whoever.
Russians don't pussyfoot around waving faded ideals like democracy or notions of humane treatment like we do. Even Russians spent the last century running away from Russians, and with good reason.
I'm totally behind whatever NATO decides to do about Russia's ambitions of reconquest.
Anything except negotiations. You don't want to start another fool's game like Iran with THOSE guys...
Spitfire
The People's Republic of China, the 1.4 billion Chinese across the globe, and China's network of strategic partners WILL do the right thing and FULLY support the side that has proven itself to be China's friend over the near past.
Certain countries must NOT bamboozle themselves and fancy themselves as 'all mighty' for that WILL be disastrous to them.
China values its partners within the SCO and there is where China's loyalty lies.
China and the SCO must be a force of good against the evil western powers. Georgia is just a little fly that must be swatted by Russia. The USA must remove its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan asap! The USA should also focus on that hurricane thats aiming for Louisiana. We all know the USA' reputation for natural disaster relieve.
Who gives people the right to parade around speaking on behalf of the West,...they want to take a hard line on Russia and they say its us the West against Russia, no its you and your country against Russia leave the rest of us out of it, Snakesvilli is lucky his still in power, if i was the Russian leader i would have hang him from his ears the fool ,...
page: 1
SpitfireAug 28th, 2008 - 16:45:33
Russia invaded a neighboring country (the only country that supported Chechnya, by the way) and now that it has what it wanted, Putin's boy toy Medvedev talks about negotiations? The Europeans, the Brits, the US talk about negotiations?
Oh goody! Let's negotiate again some more after the Russians take over Ukraine, too!
Now or never's the time to teach Russia a lesson. It needs to get housebroken again. I once had a dog like that. It 'forgot' it was housebroken all the time. It's now in forgetful doggy heaven.
That's where the Russian agressor should be sent. NOW!
NATO should park a whole armada in the Black Sea...
Spitfire
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