Posted on 08/27/2008 12:53:44 PM PDT by lizol
Military help for Georgia is a 'declaration of war', says Moscow in extraordinary warning to the West
Last updated at 16:47pm on 27.08.08
Moscow has issued an extraordinary warning to the West that military assistance to Georgia for use against South Ossetia or Abkhazia would be viewed as a "declaration of war" by Russia.
The extreme rhetoric from the Kremlin's envoy to NATO came as President Dmitry Medvedev stressed he will make a military response to US missile defence installations in eastern Europe, sending new shudders across countries whose people were once blighted by the Iron Curtain.
And Moscow also emphasised it was closely monitoring what it claims is a build-up of NATO firepower in the Black Sea.
The incendiary warning on Western military involvement in Georgia - where NATO nations have long played a role in training and equipping the small state - came in an interview with Dmitry Rogozin, a former nationalist politician who is now ambassador to the North Atlantic Alliance.
"If NATO suddenly takes military actions against Abkhazia and South Ossetia, acting solely in support of Tbilisi, this will mean a declaration of war on Russia," he stated.
Yesterday likened the current world crisis to the fevered atmosphere before the start of the First World War.
Rogozin said he did not believe the crisis would descend to war between the West and Russia.
But his use of such intemperate language will be seen as dowsing a fire with petrol.
Top military figure Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Studies in Moscow, alleged that the US and NATO had been arming Georgia as a dress rehearsal for a future military operation in Iran.
"We are close to a serious conflict - U.S. and NATO preparations on a strategic scale are ongoing. In the operation the West conducted on Georgian soil against Russia - South Ossetians were the victims or hostages of it - we can see a rehearsal for an attack on Iran."
He claimed Washington was fine tuning a new type of warfare and that the threat of an attack on Iran was growing by the day bringing "chaos and instability" in its wake.
With the real architect of the worsening Georgian conflict - prime minister Vladimir Putin - remaining in the background, Medvedev followed up on Rogozin's broadside with a threat to use the Russian military machine to respond to the deployment of the American anti-missile defence system in Poland and the Czech republic.
Poland agreed this month to place ten interceptor missiles on its territory, and Moscow has already hinted it would become a nuclear target for Russia in the event of conflict.
"These missiles are close to our borders and constitute a threat to us," Medvedev told Al-Jazeera television. "This will create additional tension and we will have to respond to it in some way, naturally using military means."
The Russian president said that offering NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine, two former Soviet republics, would only aggravate the situation.
Moscow has consistently expressed its opposition to the U.S. missile shield, saying it threatens its national security.
The U.S. claims the shield is designed to thwart missile attacks by what it calls "rogue states," including Iran.
Meanwhile, Russia - seen by the West as flouting international law - today demanded NATO abide by an obscure agreement signed before the Second World War limiting its warships in the Black Sea.
"In light of the build-up of NATO naval forces in the Black Sea, our fleet has also taken on the task of monitoring their activities," said hawkish deputy head of Russia's general staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn.
The Montreux Convention, as it is called, sets a weight restriction of 45,000 tonnes on the number of warships that countries outside the Black Sea region can deploy in the basin.
"Can NATO indefinitely build up its forces and means there? It turns out it cannot," said Nogovitsyn.
NATO has said it is undertaking pre-arranged exercises in the Black Sea involving US, German, Spanish and Polish ships. Two other US warships sailed to Georgian waters with humanitarian aid.
Georgia is poised to sever diplomatic relations with Russia, or reduce them to a bare minimum.
"We will drastically cut our diplomatic ties with Russia," said a top official.
President Mikhail Saakashvili said he was frightened to leave Georgia to attend the EU summit on the crisis.
"If I leave Georgia, the Russians will close our airspace and prevent me from returning home," he said.
Russia sought Chinese backing for its action - but the Communist regime in Beijing appeared reluctant to offer support, instead issuing a statement saying it was "concerned" about recent developments.
NATO called for Russia to reverse its decision on recognition for the two enclaves, both Georgian under international law.
But the new 'president' of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoyty, called for Russian military bases on his territory.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner warned today that an marauding Russian bear could trample over other ex-Soviet states.
"That is very dangerous," he said, pointing at Ukraine and Moldova.
Just wait awhile and they will go for Ukraine. They are testing us now to see how much we will allow.
I think they are suffering a bit from declines in the price of oil, and want to talk it up.
Alternately they are using this as cover for the Iranians.
They have an interest in getting them the bomb, to perpetuate instability - and high oil prices.
Either way it looks like they want to establish a permanent risk-premium.
Kinda makes ya wonder if Patton wasn’t right.
So we must be stalling the inevitable to give us time to plan.
Obama’s answer would be to let Russia do whatever they want and then apologize for it being America’s fault. (The Carter strategy)
But the new 'president' of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoyty, called for Russian military bases on his territory.
Who didn't see that one coming?
Just wonderin’ where our military is, ya know the one’s who would be repelling the russian hordes..... Do we have any?
Patton should’ve been allowed to take care of those russian bastards when we had the chance.
Wing attack. Plan R.
Short of using the fruits of Los Alamos we would have come to a great deal of grief had we followed Patton’s direction.
.....YAWN.....somebody let me know when it’s time to act like I’m nervous over Pooty’s tough talk
Why, of course. And we’d never do that. I mean, the Russians didn’t do anything like that in Vietnam, did they? No, Poot, I can’t imagine how all those EFP’s and Stingers ended up in the hands of the Georgian, ah, “insurgents.” Wasn’t us. Would I lie?
“We don’t declare war any more it’s an anachronism, it just isn’t done anymore...”
What a great legacy for Pres. Bush...
ARMAGEDDON
And freedom was dead in Eastern Europe for half a century.....
They might. But kicking the crap out of Georgia is one thing. Going after Ukraine is something else entirely. They have half the population of Russia and a large competent army. Ivan might think twice about that.
Someone is letting his mouth write a check his ass may not be able to cash!
Hey putty, BRING IT.
You are a bully. You push until people run, cry or fight back. I agree with my countrymen, we should have dusted you after we finished with Germany.
You make it sound like they are actually thinking and reasoning. I think they are delusional. Russians have always had this spiritual thing, the Third Rome, etc. I think they are just as nutty as the guy in charge in Iran and just as eager to look powerful as the Germans were with Hitler.
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