Rice: Russia Playing A "Dangerous Game"

Secretary Of State Says The Kremlin Is Dragging Its Feet Withdrawing Troops From Georgia

(CBS/AP)  With tanks busting through Georgia's meager defenses and artillery dug in around the country's main port, the Russians made clear they are going to take their own sweet time pulling out, reports CBS News' Chief National Security Correspondent David Martin.

Russian troops still control a number of Georgian cities and by nightfall U.S. intelligence had detected no significant withdrawals. Russia's military spokesman put it very plainly: Russian troops won't withdraw, just pull back from some of their forward positions.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that Russia is playing a "very dangerous game" with the U.S. and its allies and warned that NATO would not allow Moscow to win in Georgia, destabilize Europe or draw a new Iron Curtain through the continent.

But with no sign of Russia withdrawing its troops from Georgia despite a pledge to do so and indications it has moved short-range ballistic missiles into the disputed area of South Ossetia, it was unclear how the alliance would make good on Rice's vow.

On her way to an emergency NATO foreign ministers meeting on the crisis, Rice said the alliance would punish Russia for its invasion of Georgia and deny its ambitions by rebuilding and fully backing Georgia and other Eastern European democracies.

"We are determined to deny them their strategic objective," Rice told reporters aboard her plane, adding that any attempt to re-create the Cold War by drawing a "new line" through Europe and intimidating former Soviet republics and ex-satellite states would fail.

"We are not going to allow Russia to draw a new line at those states that are not yet integrated into the trans-Atlantic structures," she said, referring to Georgia and Ukraine, which have not yet joined NATO or the European Union but would like to.

CBS News' Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan was on the plane as Rice flew to the NATO meeting. The Secretary of State was uncompromising in her rhetoric, which was ratcheted up from her stern but vague words for the Kremlin last week, Logan reports.

"It didn't take the Russian forces long to get into Georgia," Rice said. "It should not take them long to get out."

Rice could not say what NATO would eventually decide to do to make its position clear but said the alliance would speak with one voice "to clearly indicate that we are not accepting a new line."

At the same time, she said that by flexing its military muscle in Georgia as well as elsewhere, including the resumption of Cold War-era strategic bomber patrols off the coast of Alaska, Russia was engaged in high-stakes brinksmanship that could backfire.

This "is a very dangerous game and perhaps one the Russians want to reconsider," Rice said of the flights that began again with frequency about six months ago. "This is not something that is just cost-free. Nobody needs Russian strategic aviation along America's coast."

At Tuesday's meeting, the NATO ministers will discuss support for a planned international monitoring mission in the region and a package of support to help Georgia rebuild infrastructure damaged in its devastating defeat at the hands of Russian armed forces.

They will also consider a range of upcoming activities planned with Russia - from military exercises to ministerial meetings - and decide case-by-case at the meeting Tuesday whether to go ahead or cancel each.

But how far NATO goes in curtailing relations with Moscow may depend on the situation on the ground as doubts remain about Russia's implementation of a EU-brokered peace plan. Russia had promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia on Monday, but has suggested troops could stay in South Ossetia, the breakaway region at the heart of the fighting.

Rice suggested that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who signed an EU-backed cease-fire brokered by the French, may be unable to exert power behind the scenes against his powerful predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, or the Russian military.

She said she thought the French would be seeking "an explanation from the Russians for why the Russian president either won't or can't keep his word."

"It didn't take that long for the Russian forces to get in and it really shouldn't take that long for them to get out," Rice said.

Russian troops and tanks have controlled a wide swath of Georgia for days. They also began a campaign to disable the Georgian military, destroying or carting away large caches of military equipment.

In Washington, military officials said they have seen no significant movement of Russian troops out of Georgia. They also said at least one Russian battalion with more than a dozen SS-21 missile launchers had moved into South Ossetia, within range of the Georgian capital.

That would allow Russia to pull out of Georgia proper as promised, but punish Tbilisi at any moment with the push of a button, as it will retain peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia.

In addition, Russia has prevented the immediate deployment of up to 100 extra unarmed European military monitors to observe the cease-fire, according to an official at the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation, which is trying to organize the team.

The arrival of those monitors would end a special security mandate given to the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia that under the cease-fire allows them limited patrols on undisputed Georgian territory.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO, warned that an anti-Russian propaganda campaign could jeopardize existing security cooperation.

"We hope that tomorrow's decisions by NATO will be balanced and that responsible forces in the West will give up the total cynicism that has been so evident (which) is pushing us back to the Cold War era," he told reporters Monday.

Washington has denied Rogozin's claims that it is out to wreck the NATO-Russia Council - a consultative panel set up in 2002 to improve relations between the former Cold War foes.

"We don't want to destroy the NATO-Russia Council, but Russia's actions have called into question the premise of the NATO-Russia relationship," U.S. Ambassador Kurt Volker said ahead of the NATO talks.

[langx]

Russians aren''t fascists. Republicans are.

Every one knows that.

[insurgeon]

Perhaps the Americans can elect another talker like Bush. McCain issues more hollow threats just like Rice. I believe that he thinks it''s still 1960. Good luck Mr. McCain. You seem to not realize that you are not dealing with the same country that shot you down, and in the mercy of their goodness returned you to your home. Certainly you, with your support for Guantanamo would not have acted so fairly as the NVA did when they released you.

[babooph]

Condi can report home "we have met the enemy & it is us"-a good follow up to her first,at the start of the adminisration-"*** the intelligence,full speed ahead!".

[middleman8]

come on bush and rice, you told the world to go to h--l, you would handle it yourself in poor helpless Iraq.

Now you(bush and rice ) are hiding behind nato.
After what you have done you have no right to tell anyone how to behave.
Ivan isn''t helpless thank God.

[insurgeon]

"Dangerous game?" Secretary Rice? Dangerous for whom exactly? Seems US forces are pretty well indisposed at the moment. Hahahaha

[metsobitso]

George Bush and Condolessa Rice in a brilliant piece of statesmanship have pushed us back into the cold war. I hope all those neo-coms keep what ever money they might have in US dollar accounts. That way they can reap the rewards of their diplomacy.

[breceivemail]

The best solution: nuke each other, or f**k each other accursed countries.

[dimhumb]

"...the fact is that the vast majority of the people living in these regions wish to join with the Russian fascists, knowing full well they are a lawless inhumane nation. "

I am Russian myself. We are not fascists. I live in Russia and the only fascists I have seen are a tiny group of wackos shown on BBC-television (I have the BBC TV-channal, as thousands in our town). Painstakingly sought a story on BBC part, indeed!

[thegoodtexan]

Back in the days I worked for the police department, I was constantly amazed at the convoluted threads of logic that people could come up with to justify their crimes. Like George Bush, most criminals are not very bright, and their thinking is simplistic to say the least. This whole business of us getting involved in Georgia looks like a crime and smells like a crime. We should keep are hands off Georgia and bring our troops home.

[jgunther7]

dimhumb, you sound like a warmonger to me. Go get the oil!

[dimhumb]

"...it (Georgia) targeted masses of civilians instead of the Russian sponsored insurgents who have been killing Georgians since it freed itself from Russian tyranny."

This is not precise. Georgians and Ossetians couldn''t make it up through centuries, Georgians exerting cleansing raids on Ossetians for 6 times in the last one hundred years. Georgians are bigger a nation than Ossetians, so the latter were more plausible and faithful victims than Georgians. So there is no need for Russians to sponsor the hapless "insurgents". If they are backed by Russia there is a plausible reason to do so.

[prudentvoter]

This is a very sad day for the United States. Hopefully all can be reversed in four months.

[kretos_d]

Liberal Americans: Rice shut the *** up !

[babooph]

Now she goes to nato for help rebuilding the cold war for the idiot. The propaganda system will have its work pretending nato won''t work with the idiot.

[dimhumb]

"I am certainly not known as a warmonger, but the Soviet Union has risen its ugly head again, and Putin is as evil as any dictator it ever had.
Withdraw all the troops we can from anywhere we can, and send them to Georgia."

Russia have been asking to send international forces in S. Ossetia right away in the very beginning of the whole thing to thwart the Georgia''s methods, but no one agreed. It is far too late to send forces now. The only thing left is blame Russia (wrongly), though there are not any obvious signs of overreacting on Russia''s part. Once there appears such the west should say something or do something, but there are not the signs so far. US should have just admitted the bad choice of an ally in the case and condemn Gorgia''s medieval methods. On the other hand the forces may be sent now, but this will only be so stupid-looking, and then who can say what Bush is going to do and why?

[wbwilhite]

Russia should have no problem doing business with China and India. Power is shifting to the Far East.

[formrusmcsgt]

This is one of the consequences with tying up your military fighting unwinnable and needless wars.

When a real challenge presents itself, you stand there empty-handed using words against tanks.

[ahrats]

Russia has achived its goal it shut-down a oil pipe line they did not control. Now Europe has to buy from them excusivily. So Europe will not intimidate Russia because they need their oil. About the only thing NATO can do is send a samll Carrier group to the Black Sea and see how Russia respondes. the U.S. forces are tied up in the middle east thanks to the Bush Administation, so the Russians know we can do litte to help Georiga. What is NAto going to do when Russia invades other central european contries, probally nothing europe need the Russian Gas and oil.

[formrusmcsgt]

What I find to be absolutely incredulous is all the pulbic condemnation of Russia by the administration for it''s blatant hegemony.

It''s position is "we can and you can''t".

Absolutely absurd, not to mention extremely hypocritical.

[formrusmcsgt]

Posted by terrorislamz at 04:15 AM

I wish CBS would do something about your spamming. It is getting tiresome. You have nothing worth reading, and if most are like me, they skim past your krap hourly, because you pretty much spam hourly. I will however start asking CBS to do something about your cut and paste spamming.

Posted by rudy654 at 05:06 AM : Aug 19, 2008

They have. He''s been booted about 20 times that I know of, but they keep re-issuing him new names.

Lars is obviously deluded.