Russia to tighten links with Georgian rebel areas

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

MOSCOW, April 16 (Reuters) - Russia announced on Wednesday it will establish legal links with Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, prompting the small Caucasus state to call an emergency meeting of top security officials.

The step seemed certain to anger Georgia, which has accused Moscow of creeping annexation of the rebel territories which threw off Tbilisi's control in fighting in the 1990s.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has vowed to restore central control over the two regions, immediately called an emergency meeting of his Security Council to discuss the Russian move, officials in Tbilisi told Reuters.

"The Russian government is instructed to ... cooperate with the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including the organisation of trade and economic, social (and) scientific cooperation," Russia's Foreign Ministry quoted an instruction from President Vladimir Putin as saying.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1644289.htm

[bemildred]

1. Gee, who could have predicted this? nt

[bemildred]

2. Georgia calls emergency meeting

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Moscow had previously warned that it would respond to mostly Western states' recognition of Kosovo, which declared independence from Russia's ally Serbia in February, by stepping up its relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Some Russian officials have also linked the issue to an application by Georgia's leadership to join Nato.

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Jonah Hull, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Moscow, said: "This could be an incremental response by Russia to two things, first of all, Kosovo's independence, which is recognised by the West and is something that Russia warned against.

"It's also a response to Nato's meeting in Bucharest last week, in which Nato pledged that Georgia would one day get membership of the alliance, something Russia is dead against."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3E8ADB38-FADE-4FB4-80FE-C29B96493333.htm

[TheLastMohican]

3. Kosovo politics biting in the arse

Why would US support one separatist movement in Kosovo and doesn't the others in other places. At least we have to be consistent.

[Xolodno]

4. Betcha no one in Bush Admin thought this would happen...

There all dinosaurs who think that Russia is just a former super power with no influence trying play like it still has power. There all still stuck in the first Bush admin era (George H.W.) with no concept of the reality of today. Its like they all went into a coma when Clinton came in and awoke when he left.

I wouldn't be surprised one bit after the election Bush gives the OK to Israel to bomb Iran....only to see the effort thwarted by secret Russian Surface to Air missiles based in Iran (In order to protect Iran from "terrorist") just like the US is doing in eastern europe. Well...that could actually be a good thing. Iran won't have to strike US ships in the Gulf for retaliation and thereby prevent another mad war.

Plus Russia could then say they have peaked oil production (when they haven't) just to hurt the US Economy with higher oil that much more....oh wait....