May 01, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1429

BRUSSELS, April 30: Nato warned Russia on Wednesday to stop taking action to undermine Georgia’s territorial integrity, after Moscow announced it would send more peacekeepers to two rebel Georgian regions.

Russia’s move, to counter what it said was the massing of Georgian troops near Abkhazia and South Ossetia, raised concern in the United States while the European Union has said that any military build-up would not be wise.

“The steps that have been taken (by Russia) and the rhetoric that has been used concerning the threat of force have increased tensions and have undermined Georgia’s territorial integrity,” Nato spokesman James Appathurai said.

“The allies are unanimous in supporting, endorsing Georgia’s territorial integrity and will not recognise or support steps that undermine that sovereignty,” he said.

Nato announced at a summit early this month that Georgia would one day become a member of the 26-nation military alliance, in the face of fierce Russian opposition.

Russia objects to Nato moving closer to its borders and is deeply concerned that the breakaway regions could be destabilised by Tbilisi’s rapprochement with Moscow’s old Cold War-era foe.

Georgia claims that Russia has, over the last three months, strengthened its control over Abkhazia and established direct ties with the local authorities.

The Russian peacekeeping announcement only fuelled problems, said President Mikheil Saakashvili’s new “special representative” and top Georgian diplomat, David Bakradze.

“It’s hard to believe that this is being done for the purposes of peacekeeping, it’s rather the beginning of full-scale military aggression,” he said.

“The Georgian side, as the host country, should be notified in advance and there should be consent from Georgia on any troop deployment, including peacekeepers. We have not been notified,” he said.

“Peacekeeping is not strengthened by unilateral steps.” Russia has peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia under an agreement with Georgia from the 1990s following wars in which separatists broke away and established close ties with Moscow.

The Russian defence ministry did not say how many extra soldiers were being sent, but said that 15 new observation posts would be set up on the frontline in Abkhazia.

Around 2,000 Russians serve there and a further 1,000 in South Ossetia.

“Any attempt by the Georgian side to resolve the conflicts with force against Russian peacekeepers and also against Russian citizens... will be met with an adequate and tough answer,” news agencies quoted the ministry as saying.

As the rhetoric escalated, Appathurai said that neither Russia nor Georgia had informed the military alliance of any plans to actually move their forces, although he said Moscow could “technically” do so without notifying Nato.

But he said: “Have no doubt, everyone is watching very carefully what is happening on the ground.” Bakradze said that a UN mission monitoring Georgia and Abhkazia, UNOMIG, “verifies everything” in terms of his country’s military deployments.—AFP