BROWN URGES TALKS ON GEORGIA

Yorkshire Post
Wednesday, 13th August 2008
UK

Gordon Brown last night called for talks to find a permanent solution
to the crisis in Georgia as Russia announced it was halting its
military operations after five days of fighting.

The Prime Minister offered to send humanitarian aid to assist the
thousands of people displaced in what he described as the "terrible
set of events" in the Caucasus republic.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned Moscow there could be no
return ADVERTISEMENTto "business as usual" until Russia showed it
was prepared to accept the international rule of law.

Mr Miliband broke off his holiday in Minorca so he could attend an
emergency meeting of European Union ministers in Brussels today.

British Embassy officials in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, were
frantically trying to organise the evacuation of remaining British
nationals from the conflict zone.

Mr Brown, speaking from his home in Fife, said the halt in the fighting
had come about as the result of international pressure.

"What we must do now is ensure that it’s a lasting ceasefire," he said.

"There must now be talks that will resolve this once and for all. We
cannot continue with the situation where hostilities are likely. We
must bring them to an end by having a permanent solution to this
problem."

Mr Brown said he had discussed the situation with both Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy –
the current holder of the rotating European Union presidency – who
met for crisis talks in Moscow yesterday.

Mr Sarkozy offered to send EU peacekeepers to the breakaway Georgian
province of South Ossetia which is at the centre of the crisis.

Mr Brown said he had told Mr Medvedev that "Russian aggression"
in Georgia had been "condemned throughout the world".

Mr Miliband said Russia’s actions could not go without a concerted
international diplomatic response.

"Russia has used grossly disproportionate force. It has violated the
integrity of a democratic and sovereign neighbouring country," he said.

"Business as usual is not compatible with Russian aggression in
Georgia."

He challenged the Russians to provide evidence to back up their claims
that they had been acting to prevent "genocide" by Georgian forces
in South Ossetia. "If there is any shred of evidence for that claim,
Russia needs to produce it now – otherwise it is hollow propaganda,"
he said.

Mr Miliband suggested Russia’s application to join the World Trade
Organisation and talks on a new strategic partnership with the EU
could be affected by the events of the past week.

He also hinted that Russia could be frozen out of the G8 group of
industrialised countries, with ministers from the original G7 group
acting alone.

Tory leader David Cameron said the Foreign Office should summon the
Russian ambassador in London to explain Moscow’s actions and consider
imposing new visa requirements on Russian nationals travelling to
the UK.

"History has shown time and time again that if you leave aggression
to go unchecked, you only store up graver problems for the future,"
he said.

"Russia says it is fighting in defence of Russian citizens in South
Ossetia. Who will they claim to be defending tomorrow? Russians in
the Ukraine, Russians in the Baltic states who are already members
of the EU and Nato?

"This is a dangerous doctrine with worrying echoes from the darkest
chapters of European history."

Analysts fear there is a limit to the pressure that could be brought
to bear on Moscow and that Russia’s position in South Ossetia and
the other Georgian breakaway province of Abkhazia is likely to be
entrenched.

British officials said the embassy staff in Tbilisi were continuing
to help British nationals to leave the country.

Around 35, together with embassy staff dependants, were thought to
be leaving by coach for neighbouring Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress