Georgia Vows To Retake Breakaway Provinces

"Our Territorial Integrity Will Be Restored," Georgian President Says

(AP)  On the eve of a European Union shuttle mission to convince Russia to pull its troops back to prewar positions, Georgia's president vowed Sunday to regain control of two breakaway provinces with the help of "the rest of the world."

A month after the Aug. 7 outbreak of war in the region and weeks after a cease-fire was approved, Russian troops remain entrenched deep inside Georgian territory.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due in Moscow on Monday at the head of an EU delegation charged with reducing tensions and ensuring Russian compliance with the cease-fire terms, which include withdrawing its troops to positions held before the fighting broke out. Russia says those troops are peacekeepers and that they are allowed under the accord.

Despite the presence of Russian troops on Georgian soil, President Mikhail Saakashvili said the West would help his country regain control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the separatist regions of Georgia recognized as independent nations by Moscow last month.

"Our territorial integrity will be restored, I am more convinced of this than ever," Saakashvili said in a televised appearance. "This will not be an easy process, but now this is a process between an irate Russia and the rest of the world."

"Our goal is the return of our territory and the peaceful unification of Georgia," he said.

In Moscow, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who often taunts the West, insisted in an interview broadcast late Saturday that Russia was justified in its intervention in South Ossetia. He said there would be no cooling of ties with the West because the West depends on Russia's oil, gas and mineral wealth.

The West has been reluctant to provoke Moscow, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the EU did not plan to impose sanctions against Russia.

President Dmitry Medvedev declared Saturday that "Russia is a nation to be reckoned with" following its war with Georgia.

Russian tanks and troops entered South Ossetia after Georgian forces began an offensive to gain control of the pro-Russian territory, which has had de-facto independence for more than 15 years. The Russians quickly repelled them and drove further into Georgia.

Russia has ringed South Ossetia and Abkhazia with checkpoints the West says violate the terms of a cease-fire Sarkozy brokered.

Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, is going to Moscow with other top EU officials for a visit Kouchner said was aimed at ensuring Russian implementation of the cease-fire plan. They are also scheduled to visit the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The EU expects Russia to withdraw its forces to their pre-conflict positions, Kouchner said.

But there has been no sign of Russian plans to do so.

Russia has forces deep in Georgia, including in the Black Sea port of Poti.

At two positions on the outskirts of Poti, light tanks and armored personnel carriers stood Saturday behind a high earthen berms. A razor-wire fence blocked off one of the positions and an excavator dug new holes nearby.

Georgian Orthodox faithful streamed to Mass on Sunday, many praying for lasting peace and an end to what is widely seen here as a Russian attempt to subjugate their country.

"We prayed for peace and for freedom," said Ia Kipshidze, 21, a student who stood with two friends outside the Kashueti church in Tbilisi.

[tangula-2009]

French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a man with wisdom and has a vision for a long term strategic position of EU in the world, which has the potential to be a super power beside US and Russia. The Bush administration, on the other hand, has showed little wisdom except bellicose words and provocative visits to Georgia by its naval force and vice president. The world is already has got a lot of trouble because of US credit crunch and many people come to struggle to make ends meet. We could not afford to trigger a war which will go nowhere, except costing a lot of lives. Of course, the Georgians should not be forgotten and there should be a solution. But the solution should be based on the fundmental interests of Georgian people, not on the political life of the selfish politician like Saakashvili who is still cheating his people by boasting of retaking breakaway provinces. Saakashvili should and will be removed from power. Then the Russian could begin meaningful talk with Georgian leaders face to face, bridging differences and mapping out a long term solution.

[antoniof123]

formrusmcsgt--
Show some respect for President Saakashvili and the great nation of Georgia. Stand up for Georgia and wave the Georgian flag in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Georgia. This pro-Russian nonsense that you are spewing is not what you really want. Believe me, Russia is a disgusting, filthy, hate filled nation.

Posted by ndjam at 12:08 AM : Sep 08, 2008

S.T.F.U.

You''''re as deluded as he is.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 12:11 AM : Sep 08, 2008

I agree in fact I think that person is dumber than dirt.

[antoniof123]

Now this is proof that the people of Georgia are dumber than dirt.

Please it broke away and it is over let it be America if you don''t we will have nothing but more problems.

[samsel3]

Moscow -- Armed forces will be used if necessary, including preventively and with the use of nuclear weapons, for protection of Russia and its allies, the Russian Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky said on Saturday.

"We do not intend to attack anybody. But all our partners must realize that for protection of Russia and its allies if necessary armed forces will be used, including preventively, including with the use of nuclear weapons," Baluyevsky was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

Baluyevsky reportedly made the statement at a scientific conference of the Academy of Military Sciences January 19, 2008.

[mattmhouston]

It concerns be greatly when US media seems to distort the truth as if they are US politicians. Why is it treated as a sidenote that Georgia was using force against its own people? This was the original action which sparked the war, but the US media would have us believe that Russia started it. Is it not true that these territories are disputed? Has CBS gotten into the business of judging international boundaries?

[zhynaryll]

I notice that some of the commentators here have made the case for the Confederacy - don''t you think that the South would still, even today, choose independence over union were they given the chance? Thus, this analogy of giving the Ossetians and Abkhazians the ''right'' to vote for whom they would give their allegiance to is a null proposition. Think about it!! To follow this progression would cause mass civil wars all over the world from so-called "oppressed minorities" in some country or other. And a proliferation of non-viable mini-states, each with their hands out for help from the rest of the world!!

[boandco]

Georgia attacking the breakaway autonomous regions is like when England attacked the United States in 1812. Another lost cause. Long live Ossetia and Abkhazia.

[tommygun083]

Does this mean that England can reclaim her American colonies?

[samsel3]

The truth is, this is all about control of oil & gas pipelines. The BTC oil pipeline in South Ossetia & the Nabucco natural gas pipeline in NW Georgia supply markets in the European Union. In November 2003 the World Bank funded the BTC pipeline to circumvent Russian pipelines supplying europe.

Shareholders in the BTC pipeline are: British Petroleum, AzBTC, Chevron, Statoil, TPAO, ENI, Total, Itochu, INPEX, ConocoPhillips & Amerada Hess.

Russia is the second largest supplier of oil & gas on the planet.
After loosing Iraqi oil to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they negotiated supplies with Iran. The Russians were not happy with Cheneys BTC pipeline or the Caspian Sea Pipelines project going through Afghanistan. This threatens their economy based on oil & gas.

Again it s the Bush administrations lust for money in World markets for their BIG OIL buddies

[samsel3]

November 4, 2004 the IAGS Energy Security reported :

"Much of the stability along the BTC corridor would depend on Russia. Russia is not supportive of BTC. It sees it as a U.S. plot to gain control over the Caucasus and cut all links between Moscow of the former Soviet states, building an economic infrastructure that would prevent the former Soviet states to ever reunite with Russia. Moscow also views BTC as a way to weaken its position as major supplier of oil to the European markets. In a recent article at Asia Times Online, John Helmer refers to the BTC project as an effort %u201Cto redraw the geography of the Caucasus on an anti-Russian map.%u201D

Russia sold it s investment share of the BTC pipeline to Japan before the Iraq invasion.

After loosing Iraqi oil to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they negotiated supplies with Iran. The Russians were not happy with Cheneys BTC pipeline or the Caspian Sea Pipelines project going through Afghanistan. This threatens their economy based on oil & gas.

[babooph]

Wow & I better brush up on my mohigan here in the states!

[babooph]

Even though I seem to be a "Georgian " now-they can keep those provinces in Trasylvainia for all I care-bet I am not the only "Georgian" with that feeling.

[txpatriot4us]

If Georgia is indeed a Democracy, why not allow South Ossetia and Abkhazia, an opportuniy to VOTE on weather they want to be part of Georgia?
After 15 years of independance, I can think of no other way to ensure the peace than to allow them to decide for themselves their fate. If they chose Georgia the Russians will have no reason to stay or keep peace keepers in the country. If they instead chose Russia, Georgia has the obligation of letting the people''s will be respected.
Just a thought

[ndjam]

Kavkaz Center is now reporting:

According to the American pro-Russian "dissidents" in the person of a journalist Wayne Madsen in the American edition of Online Journal, a group of American neoconservatives, led by McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann and George Soros, lobbying Washington''s recognition of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia as independent states in response to recognition of Russia the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

What does Russia think about this? How about giving Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia their right to independence. The Russian insects are not going to like this..

[formrusmcsgt]

This pro-Russian nonsense that you are spewing is not what you really want.

Posted by ndjam at 12:08 AM : Sep 08, 2008

Nothing I posted is "Pro-Russian".

It''s a logical assessment of events.

This fool started something he shouldn''t have, got his hiney kicked for his stupidity and now wants others to jump in his looney canoe with him.

Ain''t happenin"....

[formrusmcsgt]

Didn''''t they learn anything- or are they doomed to another a$$whooping?

Posted by ZykraCosmos at 12:04 AM : Sep 08, 2008

I''m betting it''s the latter......

[formrusmcsgt]

formrusmcsgt--
Show some respect for President Saakashvili and the great nation of Georgia. Stand up for Georgia and wave the Georgian flag in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Georgia. This pro-Russian nonsense that you are spewing is not what you really want. Believe me, Russia is a disgusting, filthy, hate filled nation.

Posted by ndjam at 12:08 AM : Sep 08, 2008

S.T.F.U.

You''re as deluded as he is.

[ndjam]

formrusmcsgt--
Show some respect for President Saakashvili and the great nation of Georgia. Stand up for Georgia and wave the Georgian flag in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Georgia. This pro-Russian nonsense that you are spewing is not what you really want. Believe me, Russia is a disgusting, filthy, hate filled nation.

[zykracosmos]

Georgia gets no sympathy from me, even though Bush is transferring 2 billion of our money to them for killing innocents in South Ossetia in a three day assault with snipers, mortars, and rockets. They have forfeited the moral right to govern South Ossetia, and they will not succeed in forcing these people to live within their political boundaries. That day is over. If Georgians have any sense at all, they will dump this lunatic Saakashvili and spare themselves further pain and embarrassment. Didn''t they learn anything- or are they doomed to another a$$whooping?

[formrusmcsgt]

"Georgia''s president vowed Sunday to regain control of two breakaway provinces with the help of "the rest of the world."

This fool isn''t going to take anything from Russia.

European leaders admitted yesterday that they don''t want to provoke Russia and will not even seek sanctions.

So what does this fool think "the rest of the world" is going to do to back up his sabre-rattling?

He''s deluded.