Georgian and Russian forces clash in South Ossetia
by Walid Zafar
The Associated Press reports that Georgian and Russian forces have both launched military offensives in Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia. As it stands, both sides are blaming the other for the hostilities. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has blamed Russian aircraft for bombing several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities and Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin, who is in Beijing for the Olympics, said that the Georgian attack would draw retaliation. In point of fact, Russia’s Defense Ministry vowed to protect South Ossetians, most of who have Russian citizenship. The initial response from the United States has been to urge for peace and cooperation between the two states, something that the State Department and other U.S. official have been urging for several months.
“We urge restraint on all sides — that violence would be curtailed and that direct dialogue could ensue in order to help resolve their differences,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.
CNN explains the territorial dispute in detail:
The region’s independence movement gathered pace in the 1980s against a backdrop of rising Georgian nationalism. The newly created South Ossetian Popular Front sparked demonstrations on both sides by demanding republic status for the territory. Conflict broke out in January 1991, continuing for nearly 18 months before a cease-fire was agreed by Russian, Georgian and South Ossetian representatives. This came several months after Georgia had declared independence following the collapse of the old Soviet Union. The cease-fire, enforced by peacekeepers from Russia, Georgia, and North Ossetia, held in place until 2004. Although a fresh outbreak of hostilities ended resulted in a new cease-fire deal, the region has remain embroiled in tensions, further exacerbated in November 2006 when South Ossetians voted overwhelmingly to restate their demands for independence…
