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Gori, Georgia: Georgia called for a ceasefire on Saturday after Russian bombers widened an offensive to force back Georgian troops seeking control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
US President George W. Bush said Russian attacks on Georgia marked a "dangerous escalation" of the crisis and urged Moscow to halt the bombing immediately.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Bush the only solution was for Georgian troops to quit the conflict zone.
Russian jets carried out up to five raids on mostly military targets around the Georgian town of Gori, close to the conflict zone in South Ossetia. At least one bomb hit an apartment block, killing 5 people.
Russia said it had seized the rebel capital, Tskhinvali, but Georgia denied the claim on the second day of fighting that threatens oil and gas pipelines seen as crucial in the West.
"We are willing to do ceasefire immediately, provide the other side stops to shoot and to bomb," Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN. "And we are willing to disengage, disengage immediately, and as soon as they stop to shoot at us we're willing to take any steps, first steps required for us."
Georgia's parliament approved a state of war across the country for the next 15 days, while Russia accused the West of contributing to the violence by supplying Georgia with arms.
Death toll
The death toll from the fighting was disputed. South Osettia's government said 2,000 people had been killed. Saakashvili dismissed the figure as a "truly Soviet-style disinformation campaign".
A top Georgian security official said 10 Russian aircraft had been shot down and 30 Russian tanks destroyed. Russia has said only that 15 of its soldiers had been killed and 150 wounded. Georgian officials said 129 Georgias had been killed and 748 injured. In the streets of Tskhinvali, home to an estimated 20,000 people, tanks burned and women and children ran for cover.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in North Ossetia, where tens of thousands of refugees have fled the fighting.
Abkhazia, another pro-Russian enclave in Georgia, said its forces had begun an operation to drive out Georgian forces, possibly opening a second front against Tbilisi.
Russian officials said there could be no talks until Georgian forces pulled back, even as the UN Security Council prepared for new session to press for ceasefire.
In Moscow, Igor Konashenkov, an aide to the Russian infantry commander, said the army would seek to "establish peace" in the region.
Konashenkov said at least 15 Russian soldiers have been killed, while South Ossetia's rebel leader Eduard Kokoity said there were "hundreds of dead civilians".
President Bush pledged US support for Georgia's territorial integrity and urged all parties "to de-escalate the tension and avoid conflict". Washington is sending an envoy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Georgians of driving people from their homes. "We are receiving reports that a policy of ethnic cleansing was being conducted in villages in South Ossetia," he said in televised remarks.
Do you know anyone who has been affected by the fighting? What did they do? Can the fighting between Russia and Georgia be resolved? Why? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form bellow to send your comments.
Your comments
Only with US backing can these small countries flex their muscles, Israel is an one good example.
Frances
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 10, 2008, 09:24
Barely a month ago I was in Georgia for abt 9 days when I drove to Poti (coastal seaport) from Tbilisi, which took me through the township of Gori. Its the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, whose large statue stands out as a monument at the town centre. Russian support for the breakaway provinces of Ossetia
N. Ray
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 10, 2008, 03:59
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