No appeasements, says Czech minister in interview

Aug 30, 2008, 12:07 GMT

Berlin - Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has warned in an interview with a German magazine against appeasing Russia, but also said he would not support sanctions against Moscow.

The news weekly Der Spiegel released the text Saturday. It quoted Schwarzenberg saying Prague supported a rapid admission of Georgia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), saying delay over this had only encouraged Russia to establish facts on the ground.

'(President Mikheil) Saakashvili (of Georgia) has acted stupidly, to put it mildly, but we must also take into account how massive the Russian provocations were,' he said.

'Moscow supported the aims of separatists. Russian troops were placed in position at the start of summer. Russian jets deliberately flew over Georgian territory. Parts of Georgian territory are still occupied,' he said.

Schwarzenberg added, 'We Czechs have been made to learn by our history that fearfulness does not pay. Appeasement is no alternative.' He called for 'frank and bold' talks with Russia.

'We have to make unambiguously clear there will be no return to business as usual with the European Union before Russia withdraws its troops from Georgia.' But he said he was no supporter of sanctions.

'They rarely affect those they are supposed to affect,' he said. 'We have to demonstrate to (Russian President Dimitry) Medvedev and (Russian Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin how much damage they are doing to their own country.'