Русская версияIn an interview with CNN, Saakashvili said Friday, Aug.
8, that
Georgia and Russia were practically at war.
"We have Russian tanks moving in," he said. "We have
continuous Russian bombardment since yesterday ... specifically
targeting the civilian population. Russia is fighting a war with us
in our own territory."
According to news reports, Russian forces moved into the South
Ossetian capital Tskhinvali on Friday after Georgian forces had
surrounded and shelled the capital of the Russian-backed breakaway
province.
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Saakashvili has called for a full mobilization
In a national televised address Friday, Saakashvili called for a
full mobilization: "Hundreds of thousands of Georgians should stand
together to save Georgia."
Long military convoys were shown on television Friday on the road
from western Georgia toward the separatist region.
Georgian troops now control a "large part of South Ossetia" and are
seeing the rebel regions' capital Tskhinvali, Saakashvili said.
"Tskhinvali is now liberated and fighting is ongoing now in the
center."
At least 15 people, primarily civilians, were killed in heavy
shelling and airstrikes of the capital Tskhinvali, news agency
Interfax cited South Ossetian officials as saying.
Russia
confirms sending troops
Russia confirmed it has sent "reinforcements" into South Ossetia,
as Russia's main news agencies reported that a Russian military
convoy had entered the breakaway Georgian region.
"We will not allow the death of our countrymen and peacekeepers to
go unpunished," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.
"We have sent reinforcements into the region to help our
peacekeepers."
Some 50 heavy Russian tanks, trucks and troops were seen by an AFP
reporter Friday heading towards South Ossetia, travelling through
the Russian province of North Ossetia.
"This was a very blunt Russian aggression. ... We are right now
suffering because we want to be free and we want to be a
multi-ethnic democracy," Saakashvili said in the interview. "We are
in this situation of self-defense against a big and mighty
neighbor. We are a country of less than 5 million people and
certainly our forces are not comparable."
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Seeking US help
Saakashvili also said it was in the United States' interest to help
his country.
"It's not about Georgia anymore. It's about America, its values,"
he said. "We are a freedom-loving nation that is right now under
attack."
Saakashvili said Georgian forces had shot down two Russian
aircraft.
"One of the aircraft was specifically attacking a civilian hospital
wounding doctors and patients with no real purpose," he said.
Saakashvili said he witnessed a Russian air attack -- two jets
flying very low, looking for "a marketplace in a very busy
afternoon, and hitting it, hitting the crowd of people."
Russian officials meanwhile said that at least 10 Russian
peacekeepers in South Ossetia had been killed and that there were
reports of ethnic cleansing.
Merkel calls for end to violence
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Georgian soldiers in South Ossetia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for an "immediate stop"
to all violence in South Ossetia.
"Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for prudence and moderation
from all sides of the conflict in South Ossetia and for an
immediate stop to all use of violence," her government said in a
statement. "The government is in close agreement with its partners
in the European Union, the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe and NATO in this respect."
Germany heads a loose alliance known as the UN Group of Friends of
the Secretary General which has been trying to cool tensions
between Moscow and Tbilisi over Abkhazia, another breakaway
Georgian republic. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
visited Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia in July to present a peace
plan.
The EU Commission's spokesman, John Clancy, meanwhile also said
that EU officials were "extremely concerned" at the reports of
heavy fighting in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
The EU "deplores the loss of life," Clancy said. "The European
Commission calls for an immediate end to hostilities and for a
swift resumption to negotiations in the framework of existing
formats."
The 27-nation bloc "stands ready to increase its contribution to
conflict resolution in Georgia with confidence-building measures,"
he added.
"Dramatic escalation"
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner was "in
close contact" on the matter with both the French presidency of the
EU and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
chief, the EU commission spokesman added.
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Georgian rocket launchers in South Ossetia
Earlier a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana
also called for an end to the hostilities.
"We are very concerned by the dramatic escalation of the
situation," Cristina Gallach said. "We are following it very
closely and we are in contact with all the parties. We renew the
appeal given Thursday by the head EU diplomat Javier Solana and
call on all parties to end the violence immediately."
OSCE sends envoy
NATO head Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Friday said he was "seriously
concerned" over the escalation and called "on all sides for an
immediate end of the armed clashes."
At an emergency session of the United Nations late Thursday, Russia
failed to push through an agreement for an immediate halt to
fighting from both sides.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
meanwhile will send a special envoy immediately to Georgia in
a bid to kick start negotiations, Finland, the current OSCE
chairman, announced Friday.
(Deutsche Welle)
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