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Russia blasts Nato warning over Georgia as 'biased'
Russia said on Monday it could not support a Nato warning for it to withdraw troops from Georgia, and said ceasefire meaures were biased against the country.
- AP
- Published: 08:31 August 20, 2008
United Nations: Russia said on Monday it could not support a Nato warning for it to withdraw troops from Georgia, and said ceasefire meaures were biased against the country.
Backed by the United States and European powers, Georgia pleaded on Tuesday for the UN Security Council to demand that Russia immediately withdraw its troops.
The ambassadors of Georgia, the US and Britain charged in an emergency council session that Russia was destroying Georgian infrastructure in a continuing military offensive that went far beyond the original conflict over the Russian-backed separatist province of South Ossetia.
Speaking in favor of a draft resolution introduced by France, the envoys criticised Russia for keeping troops in Georgia despite agreeing Saturday to a ceasefire brokered by the European Union. Belgium, Italy and France also expressed concern about the Russian presence.
The ceasefire agreement calls for both sides to renounce the use of force, cease hostilities, allow free access to humanitarian aid and withdraw forces to pre-conflict positions, while allowing Russia to implement unspecified "additional security measures," according to UN officials.
It also calls for international discussions on the conflict between Georgia and its separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russia, which is one of five members with veto power on the Security Council, said it could not support the measure because it did not contain all the provisions of the EU-backed ceasefire.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he particularly objected to the absence of a provision for additional Russian security measures and to the call for immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, which he said went beyond the ceasefire agreement.
Churkin described the council's emergency meeting as biased against Russia.
He said, "Today in this room there's been yet another attempt to turn things on their head and portray the aggressors as the victim. There's a clear expression of propaganda in detriment to serious, important, political work which needs to be done in the Security Council."
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