Rice says Russia must leave Georgia on Monday
Washington, 17 August (IranVNC)—US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today called on Russia to fulfill its promise to withdraw from Georgia, noting that Moscow had failed to honor its previous pledges to do so.
By: IranVNC
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008
20:20GMT—4:20PM/EST
U.S. – RUSSIA – GEORGIA
Washington, 17 August (IranVNC)—US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today called on Russia to fulfill its promise to withdraw from Georgia, noting that Moscow had failed to honor its previous pledges to do so.
“Well, the Russian President has made promises to the French President, the EU presidency several times that military operations would stop, that Russia would withdraw its forces,” Rice said in a televised interview with the US television network NBC.
Referring to Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, Rice added: “I hope he intends to honor the pledge this time.”
Rice, who is set to leave Washington for Brussels tomorrow where she will attend a NATO summit, further questioned Russia’s credibility – whose reputation she said was in “tatters”.
"Russia's reputation as a potential partner in international institutions, diplomatic, political, security, economic, is frankly, in tatters,” she told another US television network, CBS, today.
She added: "Russia will pay a price. We will look seriously with our allies and bilaterally at the consequences of this Russian action ... Georgia will rebuild, Russia's reputation may not be rebuilt."
Tensions between Russia and Georgia erupted on 7 August when Georgian troops launched an attack on the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russia responded with a military offensive that has expanded into other parts of Georgia.
The agreement provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities. It does not, however, address the long-running territorial dispute over the separatist regions.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates today expressed skepticism that Medvedev would withdraw by tomorrow, telling the US television network CNN: “My own view is that the Russians will probably stall and perhaps take more time than anybody would like.”
“I think we just need to keep the pressure and ensure that they abide by the agreement that they’ve signed and do so in a timely way,” he added.
For its part, Iran’s government has faced criticism for its reaction to the situation in Georgia – whose inhabitants speak a language related to Persian.
“Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s standpoint concerning the recent events in the South Caucasian region was so general and vague that nobody could understand what Iran’s position with regard to these events was,” an editorial in today’s edition of the hard-line conservative Kayhan Newspaper read.
Sources: NBC, CBS, CNN, Reuters, Kayhan Newspaper in Persian
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