US, allies urge swift UN action on Georgia crisis

UNITED NATIONS—Backed by the United States and European powers, Georgia pleaded Tuesday for the U.N. Security Council to demand that Russia immediately withdraw its troops from its small neighbor.

The ambassadors of Georgia, the U.S. and Britain charged in an emergency council session that Russia was destroying Georgian infrastructure in a continuing military offensive that went far beyond the original conflict over the Russian-backed separatist province of South Ossetia.

Speaking in favor of a draft resolution introduced by France, the envoys criticized Russia for keeping troops in Georgia despite agreeing Saturday to a cease-fire brokered by the European Union. Belgium, Italy and France also expressed concern about the Russian presence.

The cease-fire agreement calls for both sides to renounce the use of force, cease hostilities, allow free access to humanitarian aid and withdraw forces to pre-conflict positions, while allowing Russia to implement unspecified "additional security measures," according to U.N. officials.

It also calls for international discussions on the conflict between Georgia and its separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The briefer French draft resolution simply demands full compliance with the cease-fire, and the "immediate withdrawal of Russian forces to the lines held prior to the outbreak of hostilities, and the return of Georgian forces to their usual bases."

Russia, which is one of five members with veto power on the Security Council, said it could not support the measure because it did not contain all the provisions of the EU-backed cease-fire.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he particularly objected to the absence of a provision for additional Russian security measures and to the call for immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, which he said went beyond the cease-fire agreement.

Churkin described the council's emergency meeting as biased against Russia.

"Today in this room there's been yet another attempt to turn things on their head and portray the aggressors as the victim," he said. "There's a clear expression of propaganda in detriment to serious, important, political work which needs to be done in the Security Council."

Before the meeting adjourned without any action on the resolution, Georgia argued that the full weight of the Security Council was essential to ending the conflict.

"Unfortunately the status of affairs in Georgia has not changed despite the cease-fire agreement reached a few days ago," Georgian Ambassador Irakli Alasania said. "Georgia is occupied by Russian military forces, forces which are determined to devastate my country."

Alasania charged that Russian troops continued to attack Georgian military and civilian infrastructure and Georgian citizens in a campaign "aimed at destroying Georgia as a sovereign, independent state."