Tue, August 12, 2008
MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to military action in Georgia Tuesday, saying it had punished Georgia and brought security for civilians and Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway South Ossetia region.
"The security of our peacekeepers and civilians has been restored," Medvedev said in a nationally televised statement. "The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganized."
At the same time, Medvedev ordered the military to quell any signs of Georgian resistance.
"If there are any emerging hotbeds of resistance or any aggressive actions, you should take steps to destroy them," he told his defense minister at a Kremlin meeting.
Russia's foreign minister, meanwhile, said that Georgia's president must leave office and Georgian troops should stay out of the pro-Russian South Ossetia region for good.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow won't talk to President Mikhail Saakashvili and Saakashvili "better go."
Hours before Medvedev's announcement, Russian forces bombed the town of Gori and launched an offensive in the only part of Abkhazia still under Georgian control, tightening the assault on the beleaguered nation as French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to Moscow carrying Western demands that Russia pull back.
The U.N. and NATO called meetings to deal with a conflict that blew up in South Ossetia last week and quickly developed into an East-West crisis that raised fears in the former Soviet bloc nations of Eastern Europe. Five European presidents were headed to Russia and Georgia to mediate.
Georgia launched an offensive late Thursday to regain control over South Ossetia, which has run its own affairs since 1992 and developed close ties with Russia. Russia sent in troops that fought Georgian forces and launched air raids over Georgian territory.
(Agencies)
