Russia

12 August 2008
Press and Information Department

Comment of the Press and Information Department to a question of the News-Georgia Agency concerning Georgia’s withdrawal from CIS

Question: How would you assess the comment of spokesperson A. Nesterenko of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to a question of Itar-Tass correspondent regarding President Saakashvili’s statement on Georgia’s withdrawal from CIS?

Answer: It is a sovereign right of each country to make a decision on its membership in any international organization. CIS as an international organization failed to meet Georgia’s expectations in terms of regulation of the conflicts as well as resolution of political and economic issues.
Mr. Nesterenko is apparently mistaken describing the decision on withdrawal from CIS as a hasty one. Georgia has long been preparing for taking this step. A special governmental commission was set up 2 years ago to study thisissue.
Against the background of the Russian Federation waging an undeclared war in Georgia, Georgia considers as absolutely unacceptable its membership in the organization, which was established under the dictates and leadership of Russia.

Government of Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 13 - 13:30 CET

The Georgian Government notes with concern the decision by the Russian Federation to breach the terms of the ceasefire agreed last night by Presidents Saakashvili, Medvedev and Sarkozy.

Reports from the media, diplomatic sources and our own intelligence confirm that Russian tanks moved into Gori this morning. They are still there, and are firing their guns. Reports speak of summary executions of Georgian civilians in the area.

The Georgian Government calls on the international community to pressure the Russian Federation to immediately stop the operations of its troops and return to the areas agreed in the ceasefire. The Government remains committed to the agreed ceasefire, and insists that Russia abide by its terms.

(Washington, DC) Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Co-Chairmen of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), made the following statement on Russia’s assault on the Republic of Georgia:
“Russia’s intervention into Georgia is a clear violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and Principle Four of the Helsinki Final Act,” said Co-Chairmen Hastings and Cardin. “We urge Moscow to cease its military operations immediately.”

Chairman Hastings noted, “The Russian Federation has departed from its commitment to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) guiding principles of refraining from the threat of or use of force in the settlement of disputes; respect for the inviolability of borders and the territorial integrity of states; and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Co-Chairman Cardin commented, “Georgia and Russia have accused each other of responsibility for this military confrontation. But Moscow’s rejection of arbitration by the international community clearly demonstrates its indifference to cooperation and ending the hostilities, which have been building.”

Government of Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 12 - 18:15 CET

Georgia Files Ethnic Cleansing Case Against Russian Federation at International Criminal Court

The Hague, Netherlands — The Government of Georgia has today filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, against the Russian Federation for alleged acts of ethnic cleansing, conducted on Georgian sovereign territory between t1993 and 2008.

The case has been filed on Georgia's behalf by its legal adviser, Payam Akhavan, Professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Mr Akhavan is a world renowned expert on the issue of war crimes and international law in relation to atrocities. He was the first Legal Adviser to the Prosecutor's Office at the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and played a key role in developing its foundational jurisprudence.

Response of the Press and Information Department to a question of the Georgia-News Agency concerning the possible ethnic persecution of Georgian citizens and ethnic Georgians in the Russian Federation

Question: How would you assess reports by Russian mass media sources about the possible ethnic persecution of Georgian citizens and ethnic Georgians in the Russian Federation?

Answer: We all keep a vivid memory of the immoral campaign launched by the Russian Authorities in autumn of 2006 aiming at violation of basic human rights, including the right to life, of the citizens of Georgia and ethnic Georgians (actions of the Russian Authorities then claimed the lives of a number of people)

Timeline by 12th of August 14:50

12 August

14:50 Village Sakoritno in Kaspi region and village Ruisi in Kareli region are bombed by Russian aviation

14:00 In village Agara (Khashuri region) Russian military jets bombarded an ambulance vehicle

13:25 Three Russian airplanes dropped bombs on the village of Orchosani near Gori.

12:30 Vasiani base nearby Tbilisi has been bombed by Russian planes.

12:25 Oil pipeline 5 km from the city of Rustavi has been bombed.

10:15 Russian planes bombed Gori. The territory around administration building and city market have been bombed.

In the morning ours of 12 August Russian airplanes bombed the village of Tkviavi near Tskhinvali once again.

03:25 Russian envoy to the UN Churkin announced on the press conference that Russia will not support the resolution. Georgian envoy Alasania announced that suggested resolution is acceptable to Georgia.

02:15 Emergency meeting of the Security Council of the UN started. The resolution about cease-fire prepared by France was discussed.

02:05 Russian aviation bombarded Kaspi 30 Km from Tbilisi out of conflict zone. 3 bombs were dropped near the Heidelberg Cement factory (one from the two cement factories in the country). No damage was reported.

Ambassador of Georgia to the USA, Canada and Mexico H.E. Dr. Vasil Sikharulidze
National Press Club
Washington, DC
11 August, 2008

I want to thank each of you for coming here at this late hour. I appreciate your attendance on such a short notice.

The time is a critical for my country – a free and democratic Georgia faces extinction at the hands of a brutal Russian invasion that is designed to change state regime in Georgia and destroy the country. This must not, must not, be allowed to happen.

As I stand here, Georgian military units have pulled back to the capital and formed a final defensive perimeter awaiting another Russian attack.

The entire country of Georgia since Friday has faced overwhelming attacks as Russia has used its military might to invade my country—by land, by sea and by air. Cyber attacks have taken down government websites and news outlets to blind the media and world community to their invasion.

Make no mistake, this Russian invasion was premeditated, well planned and executed. Russia has used the separatist conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia that it masterminded, organized, financed, and fought alongside the separatists in the early 1990s, as a launch pad for its military invasion.

Timeline by 11th of August 07.15

August 10 - 11, 2008

• 07:15 Senaki airport is bombed by Russian airplanes.
• 06:10 Gori tank battalion is bombed. A civilian apartment building nearby has been hit.
• 05:00 Shiraki airfield in Dedoplistskaro District on the east of the country is bombed by Russian jets.
• 04:37 Civilian radar station in the village of Leninisi in 5 kilometers from downtown Tbilisi.
• 03:05 Villages of Sharabidzeebi, Kapandichi, Makho near Batumi are bombed by Russian planes. Graveyard and villagers’ backyard have been hit. No casualties reported.
• 00:30 Civilian radar station in the village of Shavshvebi west of Gori is bombed by Russian planes.
• 00:00 Five wounded policemen transported to Zugdidi hospital from Upper Abkhazia.
• 20:00 Positional fighting near village of Qvabchara in Upper Abkhazia.
• 19:10 “Tbilaviamsheni” aviation factory was bombarded by Russian aviation again.
• 19:05 Russian aviation dropped bomb on Tbilisi International Airport.
• 18:00 The Black Sea town of Anaklia 280 km from Tbilisi, is bombed by Russian airplanes. No casualties reported
  

11.08.2008

The United States of America:

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, told the U.N. Security Council that a Russian-backed military operation in Abkhazia was under way;

The European States/ The European Union/ The European Council:

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb are planning to travel to Moscow Monday after spending more than a day meeting Georgian officials searching for a way to end the conflict; Stubb said they had put together some elements of a "forceful way forward" to a cease-fire and withdrawal plan; Sources close to the delegation said the two ministers, along with their Georgian counterpart, would visit the Georgian city of Gori Monday afternoon to see first-hand damage caused by Russian airstrikes;
French President Nicolas Sarkozy would visit the capitals of both Russia and Georgia on Tuesday in an effort to end fighting between the former Soviet republics; Sarkozy's office has confirmed that he plans to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev;

UN

August 10, 5:00 pm EST

New Developments

• The last 72 hours military forces of the Russian Federation launched combined air and ground attacks on Georgian territory. This act of aggression is tantamount to an invasion and declaration of war against Georgia and comes at a time when Georgia has been trying to integrate itself with Euro-Atlantic institutions and strengthen its democracy and free market economy.
• Ukraine threatens to block Russian warships from returning to the port of Sevastopol. “Ukraine…reserves the right to bar warships and vessels which could take part in the action (conflict with Georgia) from returning to Ukrainian territory,” read a Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday. The Russian warfleet consisting of 11 ships is deploying to the Georgian coast and holds the potential for cutting off Georgia’s access to the sea.
• Civilian infrastructure continues to be bombed with the Baku-Ceylan energy pipeline a target. Bombs missed the pipeline but further attacks are expected.
• Russians are using strategic weapons against Georgian civilian targets according to reports including Tu-22 bombers (capable of delivering nuclear missiles), and land-based cruise missiles mounted with conventional explosives. The Tu-22 can carry more than 50,000lbs of bombs.
• Russia’s 58^th Army, known as the Butchers of Chechnya, is leading the Russian assault against Georgia. This army received international condemnation for slaughtering civilians in Chechnya. Read more in the LA Times article Chechens Say Real Horror Began After Battle Ended, http://www.cdi.org/russia/Johnson/3710.html##4.
• NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Russia violated Georgia's territorial integrity in South Ossetia and employed a "disproportionate use of force."
• Russian troops continue to pour into South Ossetia. According to reports more than 6,000 soldiers including special forces, 90 tanks and 150 armored personnel carriers have passed have arrived in the last 24 hours.
• Russian tanks attempt to break out of South Ossetia and drive to the strategic Georgian city of Gori demonstrating their clear intention to take and hold Georgian territory.
• Polish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Presidents condemn Russian aggression in a joint statement. “We regret that not granting of the NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia was seen as a green light for agression in the region.” http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5572&Itemid=65
• Georgian forces have withdrawn from Tskhinvali, South Ossetia.
• President Saakashvili again appeals for a cease fire to stop the bloodshed.