Russia to keep troops in Georgia

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

Russia says it will keep 7,600 troops in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after withdrawing from the rest of the country.

On Monday, Russia agreed to withdraw its troops from positions within Georgia by mid-October.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is reported to have ordered two Russian bases to be set up in the regions.

Russia's foreign minister said the troops were expected to remain in place "for the foreseeable future".


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7606072.stm

[shadowknows69]

1. That will mix well with our new naval base there

Maybe the Russian soldiers and our guys can go have a vodka together? Your NCO club or mine comrade?

[pampango]

3. Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia all get new military bases.

That ought to be fun.

[Ghost Dog]

2. (Yawn). BBC has quite thoroughly become British Govt. propaganda outlet,

post - Dr. David Kelly (although sometimes there are some lines that can be read-between...

See yesterday's "Russia commits to Georgia pull-back (AFP)" here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3477928

[Tempest]

4. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you

But your link confirms what the BBC said in this thread.

From your link:

"President Dmitry Medvedev pledged Monday to withdraw all Russian troops from Georgia apart from Abkhazia and South Ossetia"


Doesn't "apart from" mean they won't be withdrawing troops from those areas, which is exactly what the BBC article (which you are criticizing) says?

[Ghost Dog]

6. That's right, in the detail, but compare the two headlines.

As AFP relates (and there was a much more detailed report in my Spanish El País this morning (1) - along with the full El País interview with Mikhail (2) which really must get fully and accurately translated into English), this marks the fleshing-out of the details of the agreement brokered by Sarkozy/EU such that Russian forces shall withdraw to where they were before the recent conflict (and, very importantly, international observers will go in), outside what in this diplomatic process is referred to as 'Georgia'. The BBC headline, or soundbite if you prefer, however, gives the impression to the dumbed-down that Russia is not withdrawing from 'Georgia', as so defined.

Furthermore, the BBC piece makes no reference to the all-important letter from Mr. Saaskavili (all-important in the negotiations to convince Mr. Medvedev to agree, we are told here in Europe) in which he pledges that his country will not commit any further aggression against either autonomous region. (3)

I call this spin. Most people don't hear more than the TV soundbite or read more than the Newspuke headline.

---
(1): http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Rusia/retirara/Georgia/mes/elpepuint/20080909elpepiint_1/Tes
(2): http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/escudo/antimisiles/Rusia/elpepuint/20080909elpepiint_2/Tes
(3): ... more time required to search and find this document ... Note that in (2) above we read, along with other highly relevant material, the following:

Pregunta (El País): ¿Es verdad que James Baker le prometió que la OTAN no se expandiría hacia el Este si usted avalaba la reunificación de Alemania y la permanencia del nuevo sujeto en la Alianza?

Respuesta (Gorbachov): No fue una promesa a mí; fue hecha al mundo. Está grabada en el memorando de la conversación que mantuvimos.

-->

Question (El País): Is it true that James Baker promised you that NATO would not expand towards the East if you allowed the reunification of Germany and its membership in the Alliance?

Answer (Gorbachov): It was not a promise to me; it was a promise to the world. It is recorded in the minutes of our conversation.

/... http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/escudo/antimisiles/Rusia/elpepuint/20080909elpepiint_2/Tes

Is much of such information related by the BBC or in most US media? No.

[High Plains]

5. Misleading headline.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not part of Georgia. Just ask them.

Russian troops will be out of Georgia proper sometime next month.