Russia calls for UN arms embargo against Georgia

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/09/news/UN-UN-Russia-Georgia.php

The Associated Press
September 9, 2008


UNITED NATIONS: Russia called Tuesday for a U.N. arms embargo against Georgia despite certain U.S. opposition.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin circulated a draft resolution to the Security Council that would order all countries to take measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms to Georgia.

He said Moscow wants to make the point that Georgia's military build-up in the last six years — from a defense budget of US$18 million to US$900 million — was put to very bad use in attacking Russian-backed separatists in South Ossetia last month.

Churkin was asked whether it was realistic to push for an arms embargo against Georgia when the Americans clearly won't accept it.

"Well I know that strong opposition from some members of the Security Council, particularly the United States, can be expected, but we believe that it was absolutely necessary to make this political statement by introducing this draft resolution," Churkin replied.
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The United States and Russia are both veto-wielding members of the Security Council.

Ben Chang, a spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said: "We do not believe that this affirms the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Georgia which is for us the bottom line of any Security Council action on Georgia."

"We see this as an attempt by Russia to divert attention from the situation on the ground, specifically, that they have not lived up to their own obligations under the cease-fire to withdraw their forces from the territory of Georgia, and they continue to block humanitarian access," Chang said.

Russia drew harsh criticism from the U.S. and Europe for recognizing South Ossetia and another separatist territory, Abkhazia, as independent states following the short but devastating war that left Russian troops in locations deep inside Georgia including near the key Georgian Black Sea port of Poti.

The conflict followed an escalation of incidents by pro-Russian separatists from South Ossetia and Abkhazia and was sparked by Georgia's attempt to use force to retake control of South Ossetia.

The draft resolution expresses concern "at the excessive increase in Georgia's military expenditures and the acquisition by the Georgian government of armaments far surpassing the national defense requirements," which Russia said had led to "a destabilizing accumulation of arms and the use of armed violence in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict."

The United States has been training Georgian troops, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has suggested Washington was to blame for the war for helping the Georgian military rebuild.

"We believe that some countries are taking active efforts to start rearming Georgia and are already allocating large sums of money for that," Churkin said, without identifying any countries.

The draft would also condemn "the military hostilities unleashed by Georgia which constitute a gross violation" of agreements in 1992 and 1996 to settle the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

Churkin told reporters he briefed council members on Monday's meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy in Moscow.

Medvedev pledged to withdraw Russian troops from key areas of Georgia after 200 European Union monitors are deployed later this month.

But Russia said it will keep 7,600 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia for the foreseeable future, and it was unclear whether the Russians would pull out all troops occupying regions surrounding South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Churkin said the Medvedev-Sarkozy document calls for international talks to start in Geneva on Oct. 15 on stability and security in the region. He added that "demilitarization of Georgia could be a very useful topic for discussion."

He noted that the Security Council is supposed to extend the mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Abkhazia by Oct. 15. The United Nations has maintained an observer mission since 1993 to monitor a cease-fire between Georgia and Abkhazia.

In light of both events, Churkin said Russia was planning to hold an informal meeting of Security Council members and representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on Oct. 7 or 8. He said he also told council members that "under the current circumstances it would be impossible" to hold a council meeting to extend the U.N. mission's mandate in Abkhazia without the participation of the official representative of Abkhazia.