MOSCOW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A senior Russian general
said Thursday that Russia questioned cargoes airlifted by the United States to
Georgia were really humanitarian aid, Russian news agencies reported.
"U.S. military transport aircraft are reported to
have been airlifting some humanitarian cargoes to Tbilisi airport," Col.
Gen.Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, was quoted by the
RIA Novosti news agency as saying at a press conference.
"We, the Russians, are extremely concerned about it,"
he said.
In a brief statement on Wednesday, U.S. President
George W. Bush reiterated that the United States strongly supports the Georgian
government and demanded Russian troops now in Georgia must withdraw.
The United States sent two C-17 military planes to
Georgia late Wednesday and early Thursday as part of its humanitarian mission.
Meanwhile, Nogovitsyn denied claims by Georgian
officials that Russian troops had blown up Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti,
saying Russian armed forces have not taken any military action except conducting
reconnaissance for two days.
He also refuted the reports that Russia had sent
tanks into the Georgian city of Gori. However, he said armored vehicles with
military personnel were there to take care of military depots abandoned by the
Georgian forces.
The general said that Russia had stopped the buildup
of troops in the region, but has not yet set a withdrawal date.
MOSCOW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Moscow will support any decision
made by Georgia's breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia on their status.
"The position of the Russian Federation is unchanged.
We shall support any decision the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will make
in conformity with the United Nations Charter, the international convention of
1966, and the Helsinki act on security and cooperation in Europe," Medvedev was
quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying. Full story
MOSCOW, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday slammed the statement made by U.S. President George
W. Bush on the conflict between Russia and Georgia, saying facts mentioned in
the speech are untrue, Russian news agencies reported.
"I listened to George Bush's statement -- and was
surprised -- the facts he cited are untrue," Lavrov was quoted by the RIA
Novosti news agency as saying. He flatly denied the claims of the U.S. president
that Russian troops had blocked Georgia's Black Seaport of Poti. Full story
TBILISI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Georgia's parliament voted
Thursday to withdraw from three agreements concerning its membership of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), news reports reaching here from Russia
said.
The resolution, unanimously supported by all the
deputies at the emergency session, means that Georgia is quitting the CIS,
according to the source. Full story
KIEV, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush talked over phone on Thursday
to discuss situations in Georgia, the Ukrainian presidential office said in a
statement.
"The talk focuses on Georgian situations, and
measures that need to be taken to halt the conflict," said the statement.
Full story
BRUSSELS, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is
ready to send observers to Georgia as announced after an emergency meeting of
the foreign ministers here on Wednesday, despite failure to forge a united
stance on how to respond to Russia's military action in South Ossetia. Full story
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W.
Bush said Wednesday that he is sending Secretary of State Rice to France and
Georgia to discuss efforts to halt the conflicts between Georgia and Russia.
In a brief statement in the White House, Bush also
demanded Russian troops now in Georgia must withdraw and said he is concerned
that Russia might not have halted military operations in Georgia. Full story
