Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is satisfied with the combat readiness of Russian soldiers and officers.
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Enforced Respect
// Medvedev responds to Sarkozy’s ultimatum
Defense Ministry trying not to move “too fast”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy exchanged opinions from a distance yesterday on the situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone and Russia’s relations with the West. Both leaders expressed themselves firmly. Sarkozy insists on a withdrawal of Russian troops “without delay,” otherwise “the consequences could be catastrophic,” if they lead to a new cold war. Medvedev stressed that Russia does not want “escalation in the international situation; we simply want respect.” A Russian Defense Ministry source said that Russian forces do not intend to leave the conflict zone “too fast,” since the situation there does not need hasty decisions. Medvedev yesterday honored World War II veterans and service men who distinguished themselves in the military actions in South Ossetia.
Arriving in Kursk in the morning, the president stated at a meeting with veterans of the Battle of Kursk, “You know, unfortunately, that the number of threats in the world has not become fewer. We know at what cost victory was won. These lessons should serve as lessons of courage and memory for all of our citizens.”
The veterans knew the price of victory and knew how to support the president.
“Russia will stand up for the legal interests of our citizens in Russia and beyond its borders,” said veteran Mikhail Bulatov. “And we approve your decisive actions to stop the aggression by Georgia!”
That was pleasant for Medvedev to hear. He emphasized that “We do not want escalation in the international situation. We simply want respect.”
In the daytime, the president flew to Vladikavkaz to visit the 58th Army. He had already signed a decree on decorations for 30 people, 19 of whom would receive the Order of Bravery and two the Medal of Gallantry.
The soldiers waited for the president on the parade grounds.
“Ten days have passed since you came to face the perfidious Georgian army. You carried out the operation to enforce peace with exactitude. You showed true heroism, while aberrant politicians were showing how they can kill defenseless civilians,” Medvedev told them.
Later, at tea, the president thanked the servicemen again.
“You fought honesty and effectively. That is of great value. We did not plan to respond to such an audacious caper in this situation. But our peacekeepers, with your participation, were able to act in such a way as to show there good military training. Our armed forces overcame a crisis in the 1990s and are now combat ready and able to fulfill any peacekeeping operation and to defend the lives of our citizens,” the president exclaimed.
“But I think our strong side is a fighting spirit,” he continued. “We will break them! In spite of the surprise attack, and the intensity and aggressiveness. No one thought that Georgia would fire on civilians and its own citizens. That’s an interesting way to unite a country!”
Yesterday, a Defense Ministry representative in Vladikavkaz who asked not to be identified told journalists that forces would be withdrawn from the conflict zone in steps. “No one plans to withdraw the Russian contingent too fast. There is no need for it. The entire operation was conducted successfully and lightning-fast, but we don’t plan to leave the conflict zone so fast. The withdrawal will be scheduled and gradual,” he said. The same source also said that initially, the Russian and Georgian forces were even in the number of soldiers and in equipment. “But the Georgians ran like you won’t even see at the Olympics,” he explained.
Medvedev’s decisive statements and the words of the Defense Ministry representative about the gradual withdrawal of the forces from the conflict zone can be considered a response to the article written in Le Figaro by the French president on Monday. The article extremely explicitly formulates the West’s key condition for the continuation of normal relations with Russia. That is the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia.
“This withdrawal must be carried out without delay," said Sarkozy wrote. "This point is not negotiable.” All forces brought into Georgia since August 7 have to be removed, Sarkozy continues. In a letter sent earlier to Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, Sarkozy especially noted that “additional security measures [i.e., the presence of Russian forces] can be applied only in direct proximity to South Ossetia and not in any other part of Georgia.”
If that key Western demand is not met (and, as Sarkozy phrased it, “quickly and in full measure”), the French president threatened “to call an extraordinary meeting of the EU council to discuss the consequences of such a state of affairs.” Judging from the tone of the article, those consequences could be very serious for Moscow. They will not be simple punitive measures, but a reexamination of the entire complex of relations with Moscow.
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 19, 2008
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