• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Russia Says Actions in Georgia Almost Over

Posted on: Monday, 11 August 2008, 15:01 CDT

The European Union stepped up its mediation of a cease-fire between Russia and Georgia Monday as Moscow issued an ultimatum to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current EU president, said he would travel to Russia after talking with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, CNN reported. Sarkozy will be proposing a cease-fire to both sides.

Saakashvili told reporters Monday Sarkozy would visit Moscow and Tbilisi Tuesday; however Sarkozy's office confirmed only plans for a visit to Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russia told Georgia to disarm its troops along the boundary with the pro-Russian separatist republic Abkhazia in western Georgia along the Black Sea.

Medvedev, on the Kremlin Web site, said Russian forces "completed a significant part of the operations to oblige Georgia, the Georgian authorities, to restore peace to South Ossetia," the pro-Russian enclave in eastern Georgia, The New York Times reported.

Saakashvili denounced Russia Monday, accusing Moscow of "ethnic cleansing" and saying Russia's actions constituted "the pre-planned, cold-blooded, premeditated murder of a small country."

Russia's escalation came after Georgia offered a cease-fire and said it withdrew its troops from South Ossetia.

Abkhaz officials, meanwhile, told Georgia if its troops don't leave the Kodori Gorge, separatist forces will work to drive them out, RIA Novosti, the official Russian news agency, reported.

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category