SAAKASHVILI APPEALS TO US AS RUSSIAN MILITARY UNITS ENTER GEORGIA
The White House Bulletin
August 8, 2008 Friday
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appeared on CNN television
today to ask for US help, claiming Russia had invaded Georgia this
morning. Early press accounts reflected the confusion in the area,
but it appears that a smoldering situation caught fire today in
South Ossetia, a province of Georgia which has struggled to win its
independence, with the help of Russia which has deployed peacekeepers
to the provincial capital of Tskhinvali. Open fighting has been taking
place for weeks between South Ossetian separatists and Georgian
military forces, and some news accounts report that this morning
Georgian military units launched an offensive on the provincial capital
to regain control. Georgia lies in the Caucasus region and is bordered
by Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region is a major oil
producing and transit area, and ancient enmities among the Turks,
Armenians and Azeris have repeatedly flared into open hostilities,
with Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting as recently as 1994. Should
fighting from Georgia spill over into that area, it would mark a
third area of open warfare on Iran’s borders.
As of late this morning, the Georgian government was claiming to be
in control of Tskhinvali. A convoy of Russian tanks is expected to
reach that city by nightfall. The Russian military says 10 Russian
peacekeepers have been killed and 30 wounded in South Ossetia. Georgian
President Saakashvili claims Georgian defense forces shot down two
Russian fighter jets over Georgian territory. Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev said today, "I am obliged to protect the lives and dignity of
Russian citizens, no matter where they are located," adding, "We won’t
allow the death of our compatriots to go unpunished." Russian media,
citing South Ossetian rebel sources, said "hundreds" of civilians
were dead in Tskhinvali.
Opening the media front on the war, Saakashvili, speaking in
English, told CNN this morning, "Well, I mean, Georgia is under
attack. And we have Russian tanks moving in. We have continuous Russian
bombardments since yesterday, you know, specifically targeting civilian
population. It happened at — you know, we had lots of bombs today,
but it happened in one occasion I saw firsthand with my own eyes,
I happened to be in that town, two Russian jets coming very low, and
at low altitude at low speed, specifically looking at the marketplace
in a very busy afternoon time. And hitting it — hitting the crowd
of the people. And lots of wounded people there. And, you know,
this is — Russia is fighting war with us in our own territory. And
this — we are in the situation of self-defense against the big and
mighty neighbor. We are a country of less than 5 million people,
and certainly our forces are not comparable."
Asked what he would like the United States to do, Saakashvili said,
"Look, I mean, this conflict is not about separatist area inside
Georgia. There where — the overall population there is less than
25,000 people. It has never been more than 30,000. And it’s ethnically
diverse, and it’s right in the middle of Georgia. Russia has been
preparing for this for years and months now, you know. There have
been amassing troops at our border at that place for already four
months and they made no secret. They are unhappy with our closeness
with the United States, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,
with the West in general. They are happy with Georgian — they are
unhappy with Georgian democracy, and the way Georgia is run. Georgia
is indeed one of small but very prosperous democratic neighbors of
Russia. Not a good example for present people, apparently, in the
Kremlin. And the point here is that, you know, they’ve always told us,
We’ll hit at you because you’re so close to the United States."
Saakashvili continued, "Yesterday the whole thing started. You
know, they had been shelling our position for weeks and weeks and
for — especially the last hours. We didn’t respond, we declared
a cease-fire. And we only responded when Russian tanks started to
move into our country. I mean, at 24:00 a.m., the very moment I got
the news, Russian tanks are in, I told, OK, let’s open the artillery
fire. This was not about separatist area. This a very blunt Russian
aggression.
"So what the — what America can do about it? Well, look, it’s not
about Georgia anymore. It’s about the principles and values America
has. You know, it’s like Finland in 1939 attacked by Stalin. It’s like
Afghanistan in 1979. It’s like Czechoslovakia in 1968, when Soviet and
Russians tanks moved in. We are right now suffering because we want to
be free and we want to be a democracy — multi-ethnic democracy that
belongs to all ethnic groups. And that’s exactly what’s happening
there. So, basically I have to — I mean, it’s not about Georgia
anymore, it’s about America, its values.
"You know, I went to two U.S. universities. I always thought that these
values were also those of my own. We have held them not because we love
America — although I love America — but because we love freedom. And
the point here is that I also thought that America always stands
up for those free-loving nations and supports them. And that’s what
America is all about. That’s why we look with hope at every American."
Saakashvili Claims Georgian Attack Would Be Suicidal.
Asked about the Russian contention that Russia is only protecting
South Ossetians in the face of a Georgian attack, Saakashvili
responded, "You know how well the moment was chosen. Look
at it. You know, there is — there are Olympic Games; nobody
cares about politics. There is a U.S. election, of course, the
internal politics consumes everything. There is — most of the
decision-makers are gone for holidays. Brilliant moment to attack a
small country. Who would care? Please, do care, because it makes lots
of difference." Saakashvili added, "Of course, it would be suicidal
of us to provoke Russia unless Russia — I mean, what happened to us,
it wasn’t about provocation anymore. Russia waited, waited for some
time and then just said, ‘OK, something is happening, you know, there
is artillery fire, there is attack,’ and then tanks move in. This
situation was so artificial, it was like Poland attacking Germany in
1939. It was exact — I’m — for me that the parallel. I mean, and it’s
like Finland attacking the Soviet Union in 1939, when Stalin wanted
part of Finland and therefore that he trying to subjugate that nation."
Saakashvili concluded, "And if this thing — if they get away with
this in Georgia, the world will be in trouble. Georgia is not at stake
right now, although for me Georgia — it’s all about Georgia. It’s
about values, principles and the world order. Is Russia going to get
away this kind of violation? Well, I don’t think so."
White House Appeals For Calm.
The White House today called for both sides to avoid more
violence.? Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "We urge restraint on all
sides — that violence would be curtailed and that direct dialogue
could ensue in order to help resolve their differences."? Another
White House press official, Gordon Johndroe, said Bush discussed the
issue with Russian President Vladmir Putin earlier today during a
luncheon in Beijing, but had no further details.