GORI – Georgian troops retreated from the breakaway province of South Ossetia yesterday as their US-allied government ordered a cease-fire and pressed for a truce, overwhelmed by Russian firepower in a conflict that threatened to set off a wider war.
Russia deployed a naval squadron off the coast of another of Georgia’s separatist regions, Abkhazia, and its jets bombed the outskirts of Tblisi, the Georgian capital. Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said its soldiers were observing a cease-fire on orders of the president and notified Russia’s envoy to Tbilisi.”Georgia expresses its readiness to immediately start negotiations with the Russian Federation on cease-fire and termination of hostilities,” the ministry said in a statement.The Russian Foreign Ministry had no immediate response to the Georgian offer.It came as the UN Security Council – where Russia has veto power – met in an open session and European diplomats sought to mediate.Georgia, whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight on Friday, launching heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that pounded the provincial capital, Tskhinvali.In response, Russia, which has granted passports to most South Ossetians, launched overwhelming artillery shelling and air attacks on Georgian troops.Russia has demanded that Georgia pull out its troops from South Ossetia as a condition for a cease-fire.It also urged Georgia to sign a pledge not to use force against South Ossetia as another condition for ending hostilities.Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Moscow now needs to verify the Georgian withdrawal.”We must check all that.We don’t trust the Georgian side,” he said.Yesterday, Russian jets raided a plant on the eastern outskirts of Tbilisi that builds Su-25 ground jets.The attack damaged runways but caused no casualties, said Georgia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili.”We heard a plane go over and then a big explosion,” said Malkhaz Chachanidze, a 41-year old ceramics artist whose house is located just outside the fence of the factory, which has been running since the Soviet era.”It woke us up, everything shook.”The risk of the conflict setting off a wider war increased when Russian-supported separatists in another breakaway region of Georgia, Abkhazia, launched air and artillery strikes on Georgian troops to drive them out of a small part of the province they control.Fifteen UN military observers were told to evacuate.Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and have built up ties with Moscow.Russia has granted its passports to most of their residents.Nampa-APGeorgia’s Foreign Ministry said its soldiers were observing a cease-fire on orders of the president and notified Russia’s envoy to Tbilisi.”Georgia expresses its readiness to immediately start negotiations with the Russian Federation on cease-fire and termination of hostilities,” the ministry said in a statement.The Russian Foreign Ministry had no immediate response to the Georgian offer.It came as the UN Security Council – where Russia has veto power – met in an open session and European diplomats sought to mediate.Georgia, whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, began an offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight on Friday, launching heavy rocket and artillery fire and air strikes that pounded the provincial capital, Tskhinvali.In response, Russia, which has granted passports to most South Ossetians, launched overwhelming artillery shelling and air attacks on Georgian troops.Russia has demanded that Georgia pull out its troops from South Ossetia as a condition for a cease-fire.It also urged Georgia to sign a pledge not to use force against South Ossetia as another condition for ending hostilities.Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Moscow now needs to verify the Georgian withdrawal.”We must check all that.We don’t trust the Georgian side,” he said.Yesterday, Russian jets raided a plant on the eastern outskirts of Tbilisi that builds Su-25 ground jets.The attack damaged runways but caused no casualties, said Georgia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili.”We heard a plane go over and then a big explosion,” said Malkhaz Chachanidze, a 41-year old ceramics artist whose house is located just outside the fence of the factory, which has been running since the Soviet era.”It woke us up, everything shook.”The risk of the conflict setting off a wider war increased when Russian-supported separatists in another breakaway region of Georgia, Abkhazia, launched air and artillery strikes on Georgian troops to drive them out of a small part of the province they control.Fifteen UN military observers were told to evacuate.Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and have built up ties with Moscow.Russia has granted its passports to most of their residents.Nampa-AP
