THE United States has warned Russia that its ‘disproportionate and dangerous escalation’ of the conflict in South Ossetia could harm bilateral relations, the White House said yesterday.
‘We have made it clear to the Russians that if the disproportionate and dangerous escalation on the Russian side continues, that this will have a significant long term impact on US-Russian relations,’ Jim Jeffrey, deputy National Security Advisor, told reporters in Beijing.
However, US diplomats are saying that the Russian action is the first time since the ending of the Soviet Union, that they have taken a decisive military action.
‘They have done it unilaterally, and all of the countries that have been looking to the West to intimidate the Russians are now forced into a position to consider what has just happened.’
However the US and the UK continued to act inside the UN Security Council against a Russian bid to call a halt to the fierce fighting.
The 15-member Council met for the third time in 36 hours over the escalating Russia-Georgia conflict, but was paralysed by differences among key members with its diplomats saying it looks impossible that it could take any action or even call for ceasefire at this point in time.
Georgia has requested another meeting which was due to take place late last night.
The news of this meeting itself came amidst reports that US officials have made it clear that Washington would not intervene militarily in the conflict.
That was the message Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave when he went straight from Beijing to North Ossetia.
Meanwhile, the Russian military have said that Georgian troops have not pulled out of South Ossetia.
‘Peacekeepers’ observation posts have spotted Georgian law-enforcement units, as well as artillery and armoured vehicles. Georgia did not remove its forces from South Ossetia,’ spokesman Vladimir Ivanov was quoted as saying.
Georgia had said earlier that it had withdrawn its troops from South Ossetia, leaving it under Russia’s control.
Russian jets raided a plant on the eastern outskirts of Tbilisi that builds Su-25 ground jets used by Georgia in the conflict. The attack inflicted some damage to its runways but caused no casualties, said Georgia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili.
The Russian warplanes are also reported to have struck near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which carries Caspian crude to the West via Turkey, but did not strike the pipeline.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili called the Russian response to the attack on the South Ossetian capital an ‘unprovoked brutal Russian invasion.’
Georgia, a US ally whose troops have been trained by American soldiers, launched the major offensive to regain control over South Ossetia overnight last Friday.
l Russia’s Interfax news agency said on Sunday afternoon that ‘martial law has been introduced in part of breakaway Abkhazia by a decree of its president Sergei Bagapsh.
‘The decree introduces martial law in Gali, Tkvarcheli, Ochamchira and Gulripsha districts and part of Sukhumi district for 10 days as of midnight on Sunday.
‘Abkhazia also declared partial mobilisation.’
• Georgia stated yesterday early-evening that it has withdrawn all of its troops from South Ossetia and that its armed forces have ceased fire.
