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Looting reignites Russia-Georgia tensions (AFP)

GORI, Georgia (AFP) - Separatist fighters and Russian troops looted and set homes ablaze in Georgia on Wednesday amid mutual recriminations over breaches of a truce that ended five days of bitter conflict.

A day after the truce was brokered by France, Russia faced mounting criticism in the West for its military offensive and US President George W. Bush demanded that Russian troops withdraw from Georgia.

Russian armoured vehicles patrolled Gori, the flashpoint Georgian town between the capital and South Ossetia, the breakaway Georgian region at the centre of the conflict.

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Hundreds of South Ossetian rebels with some Russian army personnel went house-to-house in villages near Gori. They torched homes and looted buildings, witnesses said.

A senior Georgian official, citing the Russian military, said Russian troops will pull out of Gori on Thursday and the Georgian police force is set to resume patrolling the town.

The body of a man, his mouth caked with blood, lay in a street in the village of Dzardzanis and nearby the body of a bearded man could be seen crushed under an overturned minivan, an AFP journalist reported.

Human Rights Watch said its researchers in South Ossetia had "witnessed terrifying scenes of destruction in four villages that used to be populated exclusively by ethnic Georgians."

Russian tanks have blocked the main highway connecting the rebel region of South Ossetia with the rest of Georgia, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

About 100 Georgian special forces, recently returned from Iraq, set up a road block with rocket launchers and other weapons on the main highway from Gori to Tbilisi, about 45 kilometers (30 miles) away.

Russia denied its forces were headed for Tbilisi although Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told CNN television he believed Russia wanted to surround the capital.

Saakashvili also expects the United States to take control of his country's ports and airports, a spokesman told AFP on Wednesday, but the Pentagon quickly denied that claim.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday halted Moscow's offensive — ordered in response to Georgia's attack on South Ossetia last week — and French President Nicolas Sarkozy later negotiated a ceasefire with Medvedev and Saakashvili.

However Russia on Wednesday said while it would talk with the European Union about the truce agreement, it refuses to deal directly with the Georgian president.

"We still have diplomatic relations with Georgia, we have millions of Georgian nationals who are Russian citizens and living happily in Russia," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told BBC television.

"But we won't directly talk to Saakashvili, we won't do that. We offered hi

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Bush orders U.S. military to help Georgian civilians

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Wednesday he is dispatching U.S. military personnel to Georgia in a vigorous and ongoing mission to provide humanitarian aid to victims of the fighting between Russian and Georgian troops.

Shortly after Bush spoke, the White House announced that a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo jet carrying medical supplies arrived in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Another C-17 is to arrive in Tbilisi on Thursday carrying more supplies, including 104,000 doses of antibiotics requested by the Georgian Ministry of Health, a State Department spokesman said. The value of both shipments is $1.28 million, he said.

Bush said more U.S. military aid missions were planned by the Navy and Air Force.

He warned Russia not to interfere with any relief efforts.

We expect Russia to honor its commitment to let in all forms of humanitarian assistance. We expect Russia to ensure that all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, airports, roads and airspace, remain open for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for civilian transit, Bush said at the White House.

Russia sent troops and tanks into the breakaway Georgia region of South Ossetia last week after Georgia’s military acted to clamp down on Russian-linked separatists there. Separatists in South Ossetia want independence — or unification with North Ossetia, which is in Russia.

Russian forces have since moved out of South Ossetia and into other parts of Georgia.

Bush said he expected Russia to honor a truce agreement made Tuesday.

We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia, and we expect all Russian forces that entered Georgia in recent days to withdraw from that country, Bush said.

The president said he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Europe to express America’s unwavering support for the Georgian government.

Rice said Russia cannot act like its Soviet forebears.

This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbors, occupy a capital and get away with it, Rice said Wednesday, referring to the Soviet Union sending troops into Prague that year to stop the Czechoslovak government’s attempts at liberalization.

It’s time to stop this so that Russia can dig out of the hole it’s gotten itself into, Rice said. Russia has seriously overreached.

Rice will travel to France, which negotiated the ceasefire between Russia and Georgia on Tuesday. Rice will then head to Tbilisi, Bush said.

Next week, Rice will travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, acting as the president of the European Union, had negotiated the ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, which called on the two nations to return to the positions they held on August 6, before Georgia’s crackdown on South Ossetia. Watch Bush express support for Georgia’s democracy

Administration officials told CNN that the United States and its European allies were considering kicking Russia out of the G-8, the group of the world’s largest industrial economies, and other international organizations as punishment for its actions in Georgia. They also said Russia’s relationship with NATO is also at risk. Watch Russian tanks move toward Tbilisi

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized the United States on Wednesday during an interview with CNN for not taking more measures to help. Watch Saakashvili fault the U.S. response

America is losing the whole region, and this is the region of eastern and central Europe, said Saakashvili, who called for U.S. and European powers to send peacekeepers to the region. This is much bigger than any other place where there is American influence, and this is the most natural allies of America.

But U.S. officials said they warned Saakashvili not to provoke Russia militarily by sending Georgian troops into South Ossetia and that they had ruled out any U.S. military action to defend Georgia.

Russia’s move in Georgia is happening amid an overall struggle between the United States and Russia for influence within Eastern Europe. From Russia’s point of view, American support for Georgia is a direct threat to its influence.

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Bush sending Rice to Georgia in show of support

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush Wednesday said he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to express America’s unwavering support for the Georgia government.

Bush also called on Russia to protect all civilians in the region.

Rice will travel to France, which negotiated a cease-fire in the conflict between Georgia, a former Soviet republic, and Russia on Tuesday, before heading to Tbilisi, Georgia, Bush said.

There were reports Wednesday that Russia had violated the cease-fire agreement.

In Georgia, Rice will personally convey America’s unwavering support for Georgia’s democratic government, Bush said.

Bush’s announcement came as U.S. diplomats were working with allies Wednesday to diplomatically isolate Russia as punishment for its military incursion into Georgia, senior administration officials told CNN.

We’re monitoring and working to get concrete information, White House press secretary Dana Perino said, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. officials were also scrambling to decide whether Russian troops had violated a cease-fire agreement, reached Tuesday between Georgia, a U.S. ally, and Russia, through the mediation efforts of France. It calls for both forces to return to the positions they held on August 6.

But on Wednesday, Russian personnel carriers were moving toward the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, CNN’s Matthew Chance reported.

Dimitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian government, said Wednesday that the troops were demilitarizing the area near the South Ossetia border and never had plans to travel to the capital. Watch the Russian spokesman explain tank movements

State Department officials said they were concerned by Russia’s moves.

Administration officials told CNN that the U.S. and its European allies were considering kicking Russia out of the G-8, the group of the world’s largest industrial economies, and other international organizations as punishment for its actions in Georgia. They also said Russia’s relationship with NATO was also at risk. Watch Russian tanks move toward Tbilisi

The priority was to get Russian troops out of Georgia. The U.S. had communicated that to the Russia government, administration officials told CNN. The Russians who said they have no intention of keeping troops permanently in Georgia, U.S. officials told CNN.

The U.S. appears to have let its European allies take the lead on the diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting in Georgia, Zain Verjee, CNN’s State Department correspondent, said.

The Europeans have a greater influence over Russia and the U.S. needs Russia to help with other thorny diplomatic issues, such as efforts to pressure Iran to suspend its nuclear program, Verjee reported.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili criticized the U.S. for not taking more measures to help during an interview with CNN Wednesday. Watch Saakashvili fault the U.S. response

America is losing the whole region, and this is the region of eastern and central Europe, said Saakashvili, who called for the U.S. and European powers to send peacekeepers to the region. This is much bigger than any other place where there is America influence, and this is the most natural allies of America.

Who else can stand up for liberty in the world? Saakashvili asked.

But U.S. officials said they warned Saakashvili not to provoke Russia militarily by sending Georgian troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia and that they had ruled out any U.S. military action to defend Georgia.

Russia’s move in Georgia is happening amid an overall struggle between the U.S. and Russia for influence within Eastern Europe. From the Russia’s point of view, American support for Georgia is a direct threat to its influence.

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Georgia, Russia claim cease-fire violations

TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) — Georgia and Russia have accused each other of violating a cease-fire only 24 hours after it was agreed.

The six-point deal was meant to end the fighting over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but both sides traded accusations Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used a Moscow press conference to urge Georgia to formally sign the deal.

Meanwhile Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, flanked by the leaders of Lithuania, Poland, Estonia and Latvia in a separate media briefing, said Russian tanks were attacking and rampaging through the Georgian town of Gori despite the cease-fire. Watch Saakashvili speak

However journalists in Gori, the birthplace of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, said they had seen no Russian tanks. Residents there told the journalists they had earlier seen some Russian tanks, but not in large numbers.

A Russian military official also disputed Georgia’s claims. He said Russian forces were at an abandoned Georgian artillery base near Gori, but not inside the town itself.

I tell you with full responsibility that there are no Russian tanks in Gori today and there is no reason to be, because Gori authorities have fled the city, said General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff.

Nogovitsyn said the conflict had killed 74 Russian troops, wounded 171 and left 19 missing in action. Watch more on push for peace

Saakashvili also accused Russia of carpet bombing Tskhinvali, South Ossetia’s capital, and setting up internment camps for residents there and in Abkhazia.

Georgia has been sticking to its commitments, but I don’t think there is much to stick to here, Saakashvili said. Watch more on battle-ravaged South Ossetia

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that Saakashvili and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had agreed to the deal, which called for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal to the positions held before the fighting escalated. iReport.com: Share your story of how the crisis is affecting you

Sarkozy is the current president of the European Union, which mediated the cease-fire.

The deal also allowed displaced civilians to return home safely and opens Georgia to humanitarian aid workers.

Sarkozy acknowledged that the plan was provisional but said a long-term solution was being sought.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner would present the plan to EU members and eventually make it the basis for a legal document to be reviewed by the U.N. Security Council, Sarkozy said.

Lavrov said it was important for Georgian armed forces to return to their barracks as part of the agreement. Watch more from the frontline

The Georgian side must immediately fulfill this key issue, to remove all dangers concerning relapses, Lavrov said.

He reiterated that Russian peacekeepers would remain in South Ossetia, where they were before the fighting erupted last week.

He also called for international observers to help ensure peace and prevent any aggressive ambitions on the part of the Georgian leadership.

Wednesday was a day of mourning in Russia for what Medvedev called the genocide of the South Ossetian people by Georgian forces. Flags across Moscow flew at half-staff.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said an international force would be the only way to stop violence and ensure Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Let the world finally wake up and take the action and provide the real security for the region, Adamkus said. Interactive map: See how far the Russians advanced

Fighting has raged since Thursday when Georgia launched its crackdown on separatist fighters in autonomous South Ossetia, where most people have long supported independence.

Russian troops and tanks moved into South Ossetia on Friday and quickly pushed back the Georgian forces. Russian forces also moved into Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgian region.

Russia called a halt Tuesday to its military incursion, insisting it had been aimed at stopping Georgian military actions against its peacekeepers and citizens in the breakaway regions.

One Russian diplomat told CNN that as many as 2,000 people died after Georgia sent its military into South Ossetia.

Estonian President Toomas Ilves, who spoke at the news conference with Saakashvili, said Russia’s actions threatened the independence of former Soviet nations. iReport.com: Georgians rally at Parliament building

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