Bush: Breakaway Regions Belong To Georgia

President Vows U.S. Effort To Insure Georgia's Independence As Russia Stalls On Troop Pullout

(CBS/AP)  President Bush, pushing back against claims by Russia, said Wednesday the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of pro-Western Georgia and that Washington will work with allies to insure Georgia's independence and territorial integrity.

Bush offered strong support for Georgia in a speech in Orlando, Fla., condemning Russia's brutal crackdown in the former Soviet republic.

"The United States of America will continue to support Georgia's democracy," the president said. "Our military will continue to provide needed humanitarian aid to the Georgia people."

The State Department, meanwhile, said Turkey was allowing three U.S. military ships to pass through the Turkish Straits from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia.

"South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia," the president declared, drawing applause from his audience at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. The two Russian-backed separatist regions are trying to pull free of Georgian rule, while Bush and other Western leaders insist that Georgia maintain its current borders.

Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has said the question of Georgia's territorial integrity is a dead issue, a sign that Moscow could try to absorb the two separatist regions.

Meanwhile, Russian forces at positions deep inside Georgia shoveled and hammered Wednesday, digging trenches, building sentry posts and in some cases just standing around in the heat - but showing few signs of meeting their president's promise that they'll be out by Friday.

After the seizure, binding and blindfolding of nearly two dozen Georgian servicemen, ship sinkings and other mayhem, some Georgian soldiers said they fear the Russians are trying to provoke them and justify the resumption of the five-day war that pounded Georgia's infrastructure and morale.

The Russian military significantly downsized its presence in the strategic central city of Gori as Western governments pressed for a complete withdrawal from Georgian territory. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said his troops would complete a pullback as far as South Ossetia - the focus of the fighting - and a surrounding security cordon by Friday.

But few signs of movement have been seen other than the departure of a small contingent that have held Gori.

The warfare in a nation straining to escape Moscow's influence and the Russian military's prolonged grip on a broad swath of Georgian territory - has sent tensions between Moscow and the West to some of their highest levels since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Meanwhile, Russia informed Norway that it plans to cut all military ties with NATO, Norway's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Nordic country's embassy in Moscow received a telephone call from "a well-placed official in the Russian Ministry of Defense," who said Moscow plans "to freeze all military cooperation with NATO and allied countries," State Secretary Espen Barth Eide at the Norwegian ministry said.

On Wednesday, Russian troops built a sentry post about 30 miles from the Georgian capital. Conditions throughout much of Georgia remained tense.

Russian soldiers set up what appeared to be semi-permanent camps Wednesday in at least three positions in western Georgia, near the Black Sea port of Poti, with dozens of men digging in by armored personnel carriers and trucks. A large Russian convoy rolled on a road near Senaki, also deep in western Georgia.

Further east, soldiers were building a sentry post of timber on a hill outside Igoeti, around 30 miles from Tbilisi and the closest point to the capital where Russian troops have maintained a significant presence.

While Igoeti is not far from South Ossetia, Georgian officials said it is outside the area where Russian peacekeepers are permitted to maintain positions under a cease-fire, in a so-called "security zone" around the border with South Ossetia. A top Russian general, meanwhile, said Russia plans to construct nearly a score of checkpoints to be manned by hundreds of soldiers within the zone.

In Gori, which the general said is outside the zone, no Russian troops or heavy weaponry could be seen Wednesday evening, including on the bridges and main access points. Earlier in the day, Russian troops were strictly limited access to Gori to residents and turning away foreign journalists.

In a back alley in Gori, where dozens of people gathered to await promised food aid, Shota Abramidze, a 73-year-old retired engineer, said most Gori residents are worried that the Russians planned to stay.

"They're not leaving. Why not? And they're brick walls when we try to talk to them," he said. "They've stolen everything. They've bombed everything. This is fascism, that's what this is."

In Tskhinvali, the capital of separatist South Ossetia, residents hoped the Russian forces would remain.

One man who gave only his first name, Roland, said he feared that if they left the Georgians would attack again.

"They will start pushing us, they will force us to join them," he said. "Never!"

Fewer Russian army checkpoints were set up along the main highway from Gori to Tbilisi on Wednesday evening, though Russian peacekeepers still stopped cars and checked documents of passengers.

And at a military training school in the mountain town of Sachkhere, a Georgian sentry said he feared Russian forces will make good on their threat to return after a confrontation a day earlier.

The sentry, who gave his name only as Cpl. Vasily, said 23 Russian tanks, APCS and heavy guns showed up at the school on Tuesday and demanded to be let in. The Georgians refused and the Russians left after a 30-minute standoff but vowed to return after blowing up facilities in the village of Osiauri, he said.

Georgia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Russian soldiers destroyed military logistics facilities in Osiauri, but the claim could not immediately be confirmed.

"We're trying not to provoke them; otherwise they'll stay here for five to six months," Vasily said. He said the school itself had no heavy weapons or other significant strategic value, unlike the military base raided by Russians at Senaki in western Georgia, "where they even took the windows off the buildings."

Shota Utiashvili, a Georgian Interior Ministry department head, said Russian helicopters dropped incendiary bombs in a forest just a few kilometers from Tbilisi.

Russia sent its tanks and troops into Georgia after Georgia launched a heavy artillery barrage Aug. 7 on the separatist, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia. The cease-fire calls for Russian forces to pull back to the positions they held before Aug. 7.

The Kremlin said Medvedev told French President Nicolas Sarkozy by phone Tuesday that Russian troops would withdraw from most of Georgia by Friday - some to Russia, others to South Ossetia and the security zone extending about 7 kilometers (4 miles) into Georgia along the South Ossetian border.

The White House has made clear that it expects Russia to move faster.

"Both the size and pace of the withdrawal needs to increase, and needs to increase sooner rather than later," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "I don't think they need any more additional time."

Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the Russian general staff, said Wednesday that Russia will build a double line of checkpoints totaling 18 in the security zone, with about 270 soldiers manning the front-line posts. The plans clearly show Russia aims to completely solidify control of South Ossetia.

South Ossetia technically remains a part of Georgia, but Russia has said it will accept whatever South Ossetia's leaders decide about their future status - which is almost certain to be either a repeat of its independence declarations or a request to be incorporated into Russia.

Meanwhile, CBS News Moscow bureau chief Svetlana Berdnikova reported Wednesday that the second separatist province in Georgia, Abkhazia, called on Russia to recognize its independence. The appeal followed last week's expulsion of Georgian forces, amid the South Ossetia fighting, from the small sector of Abkhazia that they had controlled.

Russia has strongly backed both regions since the mid-1990s, and Medvedev said last week that neither region is likely to ever agree to be part of Georgia. His statement was seen as tacit endorsement of both republics' independence or absorption into Russia.

Western leaders have stressed Georgia must retain its current borders, setting the stage for tense dispute over the regions.

"South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia," U.S. President George W. Bush declared Wednesday in Florida. Abkhazia is the other separatist region of Georgia that is backed by Russia.

Meanwhile, a convoy of flatbed trucks carrying badly needed food aid to one of the areas most heavily hit by the fighting was waved through a checkpoint by Russian soldiers. And the U.S. State Department said Turkey was allowing three U.S. military ships to pass from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia.

Two influential U.S. senators made a show of solidarity with Georgia, traveling to the country to assess the situation.

"We're not going to let this aggression stand. The world is behind you," Sen. Joe Lieberman told female refugees during a visit to refugee center in Tbilisi. "We can't let a bully do this, because if they do it here, they'll do it other places, and if we don't stop it here we'll have to stop it in a much more difficult way."

Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham met with Georgian officials as well as with the ranking U.S. general overseeing humanitarian aid efforts. The Russians are "not going to prevent the American people from helping you," Graham said.

Both are members of the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee and Lieberman is close to the Republican Party's likely nominee for the U.S presidency - John McCain.

About 80,000 people displaced by the fighting are in more than 600 centers in and around Tbilisi. The United Nations estimates 158,000 people in all fled their homes in the last two weeks - some south to regions around Tbilisi, some north to Russia.

[tawpdawg111]

Wow!

We''ve come full circle.

Russia fighting for freedom and democracy for the independent state of South Ossetia against the bully Georgia.

[jmurrieta1]

News Flash:

John McCain is personally leading the beachhead at Sukhumi!

Problem solved!

[micma-2009]

Don''t worry folks cause we''ve got a "tuff" Repubublican President in the White House.


lol!

[bigwhtpony]

''Putin lied and people died! This is an illegal war and Putin should be tried for war crimes and sentenenced to hang! Only bad countries like the US act this way.....''

Where oh where is the outcry from leftwing liberals in the US against this illegal war????

[micma-2009]

Don''t worry America, we''ve got a "tuff" talking Republican President in the White House.

Every time he opens his mouth, the Russians and the rest of the world laugh their @sses off.

lol!

[bigwhtpony]

Read full story at reference
Posted by FrootLoopSAT at 08:47 AM : Aug 20, 2008

No wonder you''re a fruitloop! You''d actually believe you''re getting the straight story from RUSSIA??? What an assclown! Oh, I forgot....you also listen to MSNBC, NPR, and CNN. My bad.

[godzfan]

Russia isn''''t in Georgia. Don''''t you remember two Tuesdays ago Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine (in a kiss-up to Obama) said "I''''m glad Russia complied with Obama''''s demand for a ceasefire"?

The Messiah with just a few words spoken from a golf course in Hawaii parted the water and ended the war!

NOT


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Posted by ddhinnyc at 08:43 AM : Aug 20, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
No matter how many times you put Obama down or say nasty things about him,He is still going to win in Nov.
And the democrats will take over the House at the same time.
Unless McCain can get a bunch of insider state election board folks to lie about hanging chads and not count absentee ballots or the black vote.

[micma-2009]

Maybe if our criminally incompetent Republican President hadn''t bogged us down in Iraq, he could actually do more than make impotent threats to Russia.

As it stands, they know he''s all talk and no action like the rest of the neoclowns.


lol!

[liberalme]

Where oh where is the outcry from leftwing liberals in the US against this illegal war????


Posted by bigwhtpony

Well, for one thing Bush didn''t start this war (to our knowledge) and we don''t have any troops fighting over there.
Does anything ever pass through that bump on your shoulders or do you just let your fingers think for you--what an utterly stupid comment.

[liberalme]

Posted by bigwhtpony

Name change to :shortliljackass

[micma-2009]

This reminds me of when then generals testified before Congress that our being bogged down and stretched to the breaking point in Iraq has left us impotent in the face of real threats elsewhere. Now all Bush can do is talk tough and make idle threats while the Russians roll through and take over Eastern Europe.

What a clown.

[godzfan]

Frootloop
Georgia didnt start it either George did.

[micma-2009]

Just one more of many foreign policy disasters brought to you by the neoclowns.

Georgia got permission from Bushco to try and take back it''s former provinces. Bushco let this happen despite repeated warnings from the Russians that they would come in. Now Bush is "talking" tough and the Russians are laughing at his impotence.

Americans want and deserve real leadership at home and abroad.

Americans want and deserve CHANGE.

Obama 08!

[micma-2009]

so basically, since Bush didnt start it, its ok with you.

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:03 AM : Aug 20, 2008
+ report abuse


No, Georgia, in cooperation with Bushco, started it despite repeated warnings from Russia. The Russians said that they were going to respond with force and they did. It''s stupid to poke a bear with a stick and expect not to get mauled.

But you come in here and defend stupidity every day.

[micma-2009]

Micma,
I agree that you could be right. But, do you have a source? I see this as a -wag the dog- scenario dreamed up to help McCain''''s failing campaign. This give -War Hero McCain- (NOT) a chance to talk tuff.

Posted by FrootLoopSAT at 09:08 AM : Aug 20, 2008
+ report abuse



Georgia''s army was supplied and trained for this fight by the U.S. They have recieved millions in military aid from us and they work in close consultation with us. There''s no way that they didn''t get Washington''s aproval to invade the Russian controlled area. The Russians have repeatedly warned them not to but they did it anyway.

Poke a bear with a stick and you get mauled.

[micma-2009]

Bushco, in allowing Georgia to pick a fight with Russia, have ignited another very dangerous conflict in the world. This is the direct result of Republican incompetence.

Americans want and deserve intelligent leadership.

Obama 08!

[rushliberal]

Another EXCELLENT example of Condi''s and this Administrations ability to help resolve World problems.

[micma-2009]

But..but..Bush and Condi told them to leave.

Why aren''t they leaving?

lol!

[leftyintexas]

so basically, since Bush didnt start it, its ok with you.

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:03 AM : Aug 20, 2008

Morning Troll! I see you are back at again attempting to twist with others say to fit your politicial agenda. Have you corrected anyone''s mispelled words this morning yet? We know how much more important it is to you rather than the content of what they say. Do you EVER have anything to say about the content of the story or are you just too dumb to attempt it? Looks like bush''s buddy Putin isn''t quite the guy bush thought he was. Oh well, we all know how accurate bush has been on everything he says and does, don''t we? Hahahaha!

[micma-2009]

But..but..Bush, Condi and McSame told them to "leave or else".

Why are they laughing at us?

Why aren''t they leaving?



lol!

[bigwhtpony]

Putin lied and pa-pa-pa-pa-people died........

[micma-2009]

John McSame and his buddy Bush told the Russians to get out or else.

Why are they laughing at us?

Why aren''t they leaving?

lol!

[imprisonkarl]

Let''s see . . . the US has no troops it can send to Georgia -- it''s all part of the Neocon Plan to "downsize" the government (that part of the Pentagon''s budget is reserved for Blackwater & Dynacorps, if you please).

The US has no more moral authority -- since we did the same thing we''re criticizing the Russians for (invading and occupying Iraq).

Condi Rice''s area of expertise was/is the Soviet Union/Russia -- so *** happened? If this is an example of her "expertise," I''d hate to see what happens when she doesn''t have a clue!! Do we all turn green?

[bigwhtpony]

This is a direct result of democrat incompetence....Nancy''s vacationing intelligence committee should have seen this coming!

We need competent leadership.....McCain (up by 5 over Barry O.) in ''08.

[leftyintexas]

But..but..Bush and Condi told them to leave.

Why aren''''t they leaving?

lol!

Posted by micma at 09:22 AM : Aug 20, 2008

Maybe it''s because these two haven''t figured out yet that Russia is not Iraq or Afghanistan.

[causeway_m]

Guess ole Putin is too busy laughing at Johnny 5 crashed planes and Cvntasleazoid shoe shopping Rice to have his troops pull out

[micma-2009]

Bush and the neoclowns are showing the world how impotent and incompetent they are in dealing with world afairs.

They keep telling the Russians to get out or else and the Russians say, "it''s nice here I think we''ll stay a while...got a problem with that?"


lol!

[leftyintexas]

I don''''t know what a politicial agenda is.

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:26 AM : Aug 20, 2008

You don''t know what a lot of things are.

[causeway_m]

Condi Rice''''s area of expertise was/is the Soviet Union/Russia -- so *** happened? If this is an example of her "expertise," I''''d hate to see what happens when she doesn''''t have a clue!! Do we all turn green?


Posted by imprisonkarl at 09:26 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

Did you maybe expect real expertise in the Administration of fvcking morons ?

[leftyintexas]

Mornin'''' Lefty! :-)

Posted by FrootLoopSAT at 09:26 AM : Aug 20, 2008

GOOD MORNING FrootLoopSAT! How''s it going?

[causeway_m]

George Bush is threatening to send in Dickless 5 Yellow Belly Deferments cheney - that''s if he can find where the fat cowardly TexASSan *** is hiding

[leftyintexas]

What is a politicial agenda?

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:29 AM : Aug 20, 2008

Yes, what is yours?

[micma-2009]

In response to Russia''s defiant stance, McCain warned that they need to "get out or else" and then took a nice afternoon nap.

Neither the Russians nor the rest of the world take the neocons seriously any more. They have proven themselves utterly incompetent.


lol!

[causeway_m]

what russian said that?

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:30 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

In effect that''s exactly what vlad Putin and Dimitri Medvedev have said

[causeway_m]

Neither the Russians nor the rest of the world take the neocons seriously any more. They have proven themselves utterly incompetent.

Posted by micma at 09:31 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

Only people who take neocons seriously are the ******* retarded evangelical rapture crowd like those slack jawed inbred yokels at Saddleback on Saturday - thing is braindead morons like them are the majority in america

[hologram5]

There goes the GOP, putting their noses in other''s business again. This is the USA''s whole problem. Not minding our own backyard. We are NOT international police.

[micma-2009]

I rest my case about lefty folks

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:32 AM : Aug 20, 2008
+ report abuse



Resting your case is the first wise thing you''ve done here. You never have a leg to stand on anyway.

lol!

[rdupuy11]

why is the security zone a ''so-called'' security zone.

Great writing. I''ll expect the next Iraq article to talk about the ''so-called'' war in Iraq.

Yesterday there was a news story about the India Co (american marine division) and their slogan ''think about how you can kill everyone you meet''.

The slogan, it turns out, was not a joke, but real.

The ''so-called'' article it turns out, wasn''t criticism, but support.

Oh how there are no real underlying values here, just partisans trying to support what they perceive is their own side.

Well, here is my side, I don''t want to give every tom, ***, and harry eastern pseudo-democracy, neighbor killing henchmen, promises to support ''for as long as necessary'', or for ''100 years'' or anything even close to that.

In fact, I propose to give them absolutely nothing, and they can pay us BACK for the support they have gotten.

Why are we 10 TRILLION dollar in debt, while these oil rich countries have their debts forgiven? And our taxes are only going up to pay for more Bush/McCain follies.

In the end, taxes follow spending, PERIOD. There is no way to lower taxes, or even keep them from increasing, unless spending drops.

[leftyintexas]

Lefty, Just trying to fend off the REPUGS :-). It-s like having a duel with an un-armed man. :-)

Posted by FrootLoopSAT at 09:33 AM : Aug 20, 2008

HA HA! Yeah it''s almost a crime. I especially like to put down jamesm12341. I love his thought provoking comments. Hahahaha!

[talkingham]

The Bush morons won''t be happy until he creates nuke war as far as I can tell. Hey Russia, we''re gonna put a bunch of missile bases around your borders, but let''s be friends.

[micma-2009]

Ouch!! LOL!! How old are you?

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:36 AM : Aug 20, 2008
+ report abuse


Does it matter? Anyone over the age of 12 can smack you down in a debate because you have made an enemy of the truth.

[causeway_m]

Why are we 10 TRILLION dollar in debt,

Posted by Mark19712 at 09:35 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

cos you as5holes chose to elect a drunken alcoholic baboon as your leader not once but twice and all because "he seems like a nice man to have a beer with / he seems like a nice man to have dinner with / he eats grits / he says Jeeeesus a lot"

Stop complaining - you morons elected the chimp; your morons worshipped the chimp

[leftyintexas]

Ouch!! LOL!! How old are you?

Posted by jamesm12341 at 09:36 AM : Aug 20, 2008

No doubt, a lot older than you are.

[talkingham]

McCain finished 894 out of a class of 899 at Anapolis. He should be President. We deserve that kind of intelligence running this country. Four more years!

[causeway_m]

Does it matter? Anyone over the age of 12 can smack you down in a debate because you have made an enemy of the truth.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by micma at 09:38 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

Actually, I''m fairly sure that my pet goldfish could smack down that ifdiot Republican in a debate

[chobella]

Russian troops and I quote say, "if America can take Iraq then Russia can take Georgia". This is the message this dictator of a leader of America has sent around the world. I mean who is America lead by George Bush to govern on moral behavior of aggression of one country against another? America in her sinister take over of America America, has yet to recieve punisment for that brutal take over,or the dragging of slaves.This is what continues to cause its leaders to invade and harass nation after nation after nation. But let me say to America who diseased,mamed,slaughtered it Native people. 200 and so many years is not forever.The so called minority people of this country are now the mojority in numbers. Numbers take control when a people is willing to challenge.

[micma-2009]

Bushco, in giving permission to the Georgians to invade Russian occupied territory, has opened up another incredibly dangerous and destructive conflict.


The Russians warned repeatedly that they would respond very forcefully and they have.


Americans deserve intelligent leadership at home and abroad.

Americans deserve CHANGE.

Obama 08!

[causeway_m]

McCain finished 894 out of a class of 899 at Anapolis. He should be President. We deserve that kind of intelligence running this country. Four more years!


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Posted by talkingham at 09:39 AM : Aug 20, 2008"

894 out of 899 at annapolis - a "school" with the educational standards of kindergartens in the rest of the world
Have to congratulate you americans on finding McCain - about the only person in the world who might be even dumber than Bush

[leftyintexas]

There''''s still time for the delegates to vote in Hillary. She would have a better chance to win than Ubama.

Posted by ddhinnyc at 09:43 AM : Aug 20, 2008

Why would you care? You aren''t a Democrat anyway, are you?

[msay3]

McCain finished 894 out of a class of 899 at Anapolis. He should be President. We deserve that kind of intelligence running this country. Four more years!


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Posted by talkingham at 09:39 AM : Aug 20, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you watch the Saddleback debate? Talk about intelligence....Obama sunk himself with his uh, uh, uh answers...He can''t measure up when it comes to answering questions without tele-prompters giving him the answers....McCain absolutely eclipsed Obama...So much so that the Obama camp came up with the lame statement that McCain must have somehow overheard the questions being asked of Obama....That''s the best they could come up with. What a laugh!!!