The war in Ossetia: international reaction

The United States demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from US ally Georgia and stop aviabombardirovki, reports Reuters.

"We call on Russia to stop bombing Georgian air and missile attacks, to respect Georgia's territorial integrity and withdraw forces from the land-based Georgian land" - said in a statement, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"We deplore the actions of the Russian military in Georgia - said US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad after a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

Charge d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in the US Darchia Alexander was summoned to the State Department on Friday, where the Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told him that the Bush administration condemns Russian military action in Georgia.

Blows with the strategic bombers and missiles, "are dangerous and neproportsinalnoy escalation of tension, as they occur across Georgia in regions far from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia," the statement said the press service of the US State Department.
Representatives of the EU, US and OSCE are going to go to Georgia to try to negotiate with the warring parties to the ceasefire in South Ossetia, said on August 8 the French EU Presidency.

Part of the 58th Russian army entered the territory on Friday the breakaway republic after the situation in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict sharply escalated. Moscow said that Russian troops entered in response to Tbilisi's attempt to regain the breakaway regions by force. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said his country is with Russia in a state of war.

"It was decided that representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union and the United States sent to Georgia in order to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible & quot ;, - Reuters quoted statement by the EU presidency.

US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said earlier that the United States sent to the conflict region the representative. Name messenger and the timing of his trip Gallegos did not elaborate.

The State Department said that Washington is consulting with its European allies in NATO for possible dispatch to Georgia a group of intermediaries.

On Friday, the United States, NATO and the European Union called on the warring parties for an immediate ceasefire and start peace talks.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that it is extremely concerned about the events in South Ossetia. He expressed regret that the conflict has resulted in human casualties.

"France reiterates its commitment to the territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders", - said the head of French diplomacy.

"France calls on all parties to immediately stop confrontation and immediately return to the negotiating table - said Kouchner. - Only negotiations can settle the crisis ».

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Shtaymayer skzal that shocked the escalation of violence in South Ossetia in the past 48 hours. "It is unclear who is responsible for a new outbreak of violence," - he said.

"All military operations must be stopped, and all the forces entered South Ossetia in the last 48 hours should be withdrawn, - said the German minister. - I expressed my concerns to the Georgian President Saakashvili and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the phone ».

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called on the parties involved in the conflict in South Ossetia, to exercise calm and restraint and refrain from the use of force, said government spokesman Thomas Steg Germany.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has called "unacceptable" any interference in the "internal affairs of the Republic of Georgia" and warned that such deysvtviya can lead to tragic consequences.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing concern over the situation and called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

UK calls for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of direct negotiations between the parties, said a spokesman for Prime Minister

A White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said that President George W. Bush, who is in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, is closely following the developments in South Ossetia.

"I want to reiterate on behalf of the United States supports Georgia's territorial integrity and call for an immediate ceasefire," - said Perino.