Crisis Group Conflict Alert: Russia Must Withdraw Its Troops from Georgia

Tblisi/Brussels, 11 August 2008: Russia must cease its advances within Georgia, immediately withdraw its troops to its peacekeeping positions, and restore the status quo ante.

During the course of today, 11 August 2008, Russian troops, backed by its air force, advanced deep into Georgia, well beyond the boundaries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and apparently took control of the Georgian towns of Gori, Senaki and Zugdidi, among others.

Russia has no legitimate security interests justifying its advance beyond the boundaries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It is not performing a peacekeeping function or defending the rights of Russian citizens. Today’s advances and attacks raise real doubts about Russia’s intentions with respect to Georgia. These steps appear aimed at undermining Georgia’s capacity to function as a state.

Russia must immediately agree to the ceasefire proposal made by European Union and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) envoys, the French and Finnish Foreign Ministers Bernard Kouchner and Alexander Stubb, which Georgia has signed.

The international community, and particularly the United States and the European Union, must make it unequivocally clear that Russia’s aggression is a flagrant violation of international law and undermines its legitimacy as a defender of that law. It must also declare that failure to withdraw its troops back to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and then to Russia, will be strongly condemned and will significantly damage Russia’s relations with the U.S. and EU. Western heads of state should deliver this message forcefully to the Russian president and prime minister, including in person in Moscow.

Once hostilities have ceased and withdrawal occurred, negotiations should take place between Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia to sign a non-resumption of hostilities text and agree to a revised peacekeeping arrangement and new negotiations format. All parties must secure the return of displaced persons and provide humanitarian assistance.

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5623&l=1

Government of Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 12 • 17:50 Tbilisi, Georgia

URGENT: Georgia confirms continued presence of massive Russian occupation force, bombings, ethnic cleansing & economic warfare

Contrary to some media reports and to the statement by Russian President Medvedev, Russian occupation forces are fully operational in Georgia with at least 12,000 troops throughout the country, many of them outside of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This is no way represents a “halt to military operations” or a “halt to war” as many media outlets are reporting.

Specifically, at this hour:

—Russian soldiers occupy the Georgian Black Sea Port of Poti, which they have destroyed and where they have killed nearly 100 civilians. The port is blockaded and their are tanks on the roads outside of Poti.

In recent hours:

—Russian forces have bombed Gori city center for the first time, where two journalists were reported killed today and a hospital was bombed.

—In western Georgia, Russian troops ordered members of the civil administration to abandon their posts

—In Senaki, Russian forces bombed and are believed to have mined a major Georgian army base. The base had been evacuated prior to the attack.

—Most of the ethnic Georgians who were in South Ossetia have been taken to Kurta detention camp by Russian troops or have been killed by separatist paramilitaries. The massacre is continuing.

—Local witnesses are reporting that Russian troops (or Russian allied militia) are verifying the ethnicity of residents and—if they are Georgian—they are summarily executing them with a bullet to their head. Reports of such massacres are coming from the villages of Nikosi, Kurta, and Armarishili.

—In Agara, a town outside of the conflict zones, an ambulance was bombed.

In recent hours, the Russian invasion forces also have begun a campaign of economic warfare. Among other attacks, they have:

—Bombed a German-owned cement factory in Kaspi

—Bombed and narrowly missed the BTC pipeline near Rustavi.

For further information, please contact:
Nato Chikovani, Press Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia: +995.77.507.726