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Bryza Says Russia outside Intl. Law
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza has sharply criticized Russia’s actions in Transcaucasia. He was speaking in Tbilisi, where a NATO council session is underway. Bryza accused Russia of not fulfilling the obligations it has taken on under the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan and the UN resolution on Georgia. Bryza said that consultations were underway with NATO ambassadors on the extent to which the European alliance members acknowledge Russia’s failure to meet its obligations.
Russia, according to Bryza, stands outside international law with its refusal to adhere to the UN resolution to respect the territorial integrity of Georgia. Bryza has visited Georgia repeatedly since the beginning of the military conflict in South Ossetia and has insisted that Russia peacekeepers be replaced with representatives of the OSCE. He has also expressed strong support for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
According to information from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian peacekeepers abandoned their posts on the Poti-Senaki line on September 13, in accordance with the agreement reached between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. “It was done two days before the deadline set in the Medvedev-Sarkozy agreement,” a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry press department reads. It is also noted there that Russia expects the same conscientious relations from all sides, especially Georgia and the European Union. Most of all, that entails an EU guarantee of nonuse of force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a return of all Georgian forces to their bases by October 1 and the prompt posting of international observers, including a minimum of 200 EU representatives, in the areas of Georgia bordering on South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
www.kommersant.com
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