NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Photo: Reuters
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NATO Sec-Gen Demands Russia’s Railway Troops Withdrawal
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has demanded from Russia to withdraw from Abkhazia the railway trîops that were deployed there on Saturday and urged the parties to peacefully settle the conflict, AFP reported.
NATO secretary-general lashed out at Russia Tuesday blaming on Moscow the breach of Georgia’s sovereignty and the threat to its territorial integrity.
"This deployment is clearly in contravention of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which NATO strongly supports," AFP quoted Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as saying. "These forces should be withdrawn, and both Russia and Georgia should engage quickly in a high-level and open dialogue to de-escalate tensions."
Russia deployed in Abkhazia Saturday a railway force unit of 400 officers and soldiers, claiming they will repair the transport infrastructure of the region. Georgia viewed this deployment as the first move towards the military intervention, and this interpretation has further aggravated the tense relations of Moscow and Tbilisi.
It isn’t the first time that Georgia spots the launch of the military campaign in Russia’s actions. Official Tbilisi didn’t hesitate to accuse Russia of hitting its spy drone April 20, 2008.
www.kommersant.com
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