GEORGIA CONFLICT 2008
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AUGUST 14, 2008
 
By the end of the day on August 14th, the Russians had advanced to within 30 miles of Tiblisi, blocking the main east-west highway there 100 meter in front of the Georgian positions. They also destroyed the major east-west railway near there, destroying a major bridge for that railway. Aside from this however, no further major combat occurred between the two forces, and Georgian forces tensely manned their own positions, watching the Russians.
Also on August 14th, true to President Bush's word, US Air Force C-17 transport planes began arriving in Georgia, unloading supplies, and also delivering U.S. military teams to assess the needs of the Georgians and prepare for the logistical efforts to meet those needs.
The thousands of pounds of humanitarian supplies for the Georgian people were much needed and welcomed, as were the U.S. military personnel. An ongoing effort of 2-3 planes a day will provide the logistical and humanitarian needs of the Georgians, which will be augmented later by US Navy vessels coming in on Georgia's west coast.
The Georgian people were beside themselves with joy and relief to see US military aircraft and personnel arriving. They knew full well, as with the five Presidents who came to stand vigil with them, that these troops and this equipment, in addition to the humanitarian relief it would provide, would provide another shield from Russian attack and greater opportunity to diffuse the crisis.
AUGUST 15, 2008
U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH Statement, August 15, 2008
Good morning. I've just received an update from my national security team on the situation in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tbilisi. She's conferring with President Saakashvili and expressing America's wholehearted support for Georgia's democracy.
She will be traveling to Crawford, where I will meet her and she will bring me up to date on what she has seen and what she heard in Georgia, as well as in Paris -- I mean, in France. She did not go to Paris. Secretary of Defense Gates will keep me briefed on the humanitarian assistance to the people of Georgia. We're working closely with our partners in Europe and other members of the G7 to bring a resolution to this crisis.
The United States and our allies stand with the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government. Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory.
Some Americans listening today may wonder why events taking place in a small country halfway around the world matter to the United States. In the years since it's gained independence after the Soviet Union's collapse, Georgia has become a courageous democracy. Its people are making the tough choices that are required of free societies. Since the Rose Revolution in 2003, the Georgian people have held free elections, opened up their economy, and built the foundations of a successful democracy.
Georgia has sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to help others achieve the liberty that they struggled so hard to attain. To further strengthen their democracy, Georgia has sought to join the free institutions of the West. The people of Georgia have cast their lot with the free world, and we will not cast them aside.
Georgia's emergence as a young democracy has been part of an inspiring and hopeful new chapter in Europe's history. Europe has moved beyond the world wars that killed millions of people, and the Cold War that divided its citizens between two superpowers. Every administration since the end of the Cold War has worked with European partners to extend the reach of liberty and prosperity. And now, for the first time in memory, Europe is becoming a continent that is whole, free, and at peace.
Unfortunately, Russia has tended to view the expansion of freedom and democracy as a threat to its interests. The opposite is true: Free and prosperous societies on Russia's borders will advance Russia's interests by serving as sources of stability and economic opportunity.
We hope Russia's leaders will recognize that a future of cooperation and peace will benefit all parties. The Cold War is over. The days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us. A contentious relationship with Russia is not in America's interest. And a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia's interest.
With its actions in recent days Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world. Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century. Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations, or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation. To begin to repair its relations with the United States and Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must respect the freedom of its neighbors.
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV Statement, August 15, 2008
We don't want the collapse of Georgia, but the de facto situation is such that neither the South Ossetians nor the Abkhaz want to live in the same state with the person who has sent his troops against them
I'd like you to know, that we support any decision taken by the peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. We will not only support them, but guarantee them in the Caucasus and in the whole world.
Peace needs to re-established in the region and guaranteed and underpinned so that no one again will get idiotic ideas, and this I see as the main task of the Russian Federation.
Late on August 15th, after a five-hour consultation with the U.S. secretary of State, Rice, the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, signed the cease-fire agreement brokered by the French President with the President of Russia. Russian troops at that point were within 30 miles of the capital where that tense standoff with Georgian military continued.
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