Русская версияGeorgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced on Tuesday, Aug.
12, that he wanted to take his country out of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS), the Moscow-dominated regional grouping of
ex-Soviet countries.
Addressing a 70,000-strong crowd in front of the Georgian
parliament building in Tbilisi, Saakashvili said that Georgia would
quit the CIS and urged Ukraine to follow suit.
"We have made a decision: Georgia is quitting the CIS," he told the
crowd.
"We urge Ukraine and other countries to follow our
decision."
Saakashvili said relations with Russia were such that Georgia could
no longer be part of the federation. The president claimed on
Monday that Russia currently occupies "the majority" of Georgian
territory, including the separatist provinces of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia and neighboring areas.
In an outpouring of patriotism in the face of Russian attacks,
Georgians of all ages crammed onto one of the main roads in the
capital, where a sea of flags waved above the crowd and volunteers
handed out free T-shirts saying: "We are together. We are united."
Georgian president rallies patriotic crowd
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Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Saakashvili has tapped into Georgian patriotism
Saakashvili, standing in front of the parliament building, joined
fellow politicians making rousing speeches, the crowd answering
their calls for unity and courage with wild applause and cheering.
"The targets of the Russian armed forces are humanity and liberty!"
Saakashvili said. "Our struggle with Russia is a struggle between
David and Goliath. And David will win! We will win!"
People held banners and posters saying "Freedom" and "Stop Russia"
and depicting tanks with a line through them.
Speakers denouncing Russia and its prime minister, Vladimir Putin,
shouted "Georgia, Georgia!" Posters denounced Putin, the former
president, as a terrorist, and one depicted him with the caption
"Wanted: Crimes against humanity in the world."
Many observers predicted the war would undermine Saakashvili, with
his opponents seizing on his hot-headed operation to retake South
Ossetia as the catalyst for Russia's devastating response. Some
expected the responsibility for the loss of life and destruction to
be laid squarely at the president's door but in the immediate
aftermath at least, the Russian decision to cease fighting has been
seen by more patriotic quarters as a victory for the embattled
Georgian leader.
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Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Patriotic Georgians have joined together in solidarity
However, with Russia stating that hostilities would resume should
any further move be made against South Ossetia, Saakashvili still
faces the problem of what to do about the breakaway region that
Tbilisi -- and the rest of the world -- calls a part of Georgia.
Russian troops are to remain stationed in South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, Medvedev told reporters on Tueday. He called the soldiers
"the deciding factor for security in the Caucasus."
International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo
said he has been contacted about the conflict in Georgia's
breakaway province of South Ossetia and may launch a preliminary
investigation. Putin had previously accused Saakashvili of genocide
and crimes against humanist.
"We have started to receive communications on this," Moreno-Ocampo
told Reuters news agency from The Hague. Asked if he would be
launching a preliminary investigation, he said: "It is a
possibility". He gave no further details.
Nearly half of Russians want South Ossetia
If Russians have their way, South Ossetia will become part of their
country, a survey conducted by independent pollsters Levada
suggested on Tuesday.
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Will the Caucasus map have to be redrawn?
Almost half of those polled want the breakaway Georgian region to
join with Russia. Some 46 percent of respondents told Levada they
wanted to see South Ossetia as part of Russia. Levada surveyed
2,100 Russians in large cities between Aug. 9 and10. Another 34
percent said South Ossetia should become an independent country,
and only four percent said it should remain part of Georgia.
Another consequence of the fighting looks to be the breakdown in
relations between NATO and Russia.
NATO: No business as usual with Russia
NATO ambassadors on Tuesday voiced serious concern at the situation
in Georgia, with many nations saying it could not be "business as
usual" with Russia, US NATO ambassador Kurt Volker said.
There was "serious concern about the events in Georgia," including
the humanitarian situation, support for a ceasefire and the
withdrawal of forces, Volker told reporters. "Given the events in
Georgia, many allies expressed the sentiments that there cannot be
business as usual with Russia," he said.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged both sides to
withdraw to pre-conflict positions.
The ambassadors of the 26 NATO nations, meeting in Brussels,
condemned Russia's "excessive, disproportionate use of force,"
Scheffer said. "That's why a ceasefire is of such importance."
(Deutsche Welle)
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