August 12, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 9, 1429

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 11: Russia and the United States traded accusations on Sunday night over Moscow’s handling of its military operation in Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia and the bombing of Georgia proper.

US Ambassador to UN Zalmay Khalilzad warned Russia that the continuing assault on Georgia would complicate relations between Washington and Moscow.

“I urge the Russian Federation to carefully consider implications of this aggression against the sovereign and democratic state of Georgia,” he said.

“Russia’s relations with the United States and others in the international community will be affected by its continued assault on Georgia and its refusal to contribute to a peaceful solution of this crisis.”

Commenting on Russia’s actions in Georgia, Mr Khalilzad used much stronger language than during three previous meetings held on the issue. “We must condemn Russia’s military assault on the sovereign state of Georgia, the violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the targeting of civilians and the campaign of terror against the Georgian population,” he said.

“Similarly, we need to condemn the destruction of Georgian infrastructure.”

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin fired back, saying that blaming Russia for terrorising the civil population was absolutely unacceptable.

“Now, let me say about Mr Khalilzad’s statement regarding terror against the civil population.

“Such a statement, honourable Mr Khalilzad, is absolutely unacceptable; moreover when it comes from a representative of a country (whose) actions with regard to civil population are (well) known in Iraq, in Afghanistan, even in Serbia.”

Mr Churkin directed even harsher criticism at his Georgian counterpart Irakli Alasania’s statement in which he accused Russian military of indiscriminate bombing and firing at targets within Georgia.

“I reject categorically the assumptions that we are conducting the military operations indiscriminately,” he said.

“Mr Alasania went as far as to argue that supposedly a statement made by a Russian prisoner of war, an air pilot, during an interrogation in Georgia, supposedly that he was instructed (by his superiors) to fire indiscriminately. Such an argument is right on blasphemous and outrageous (especially when made) during the opening session of the UN Security Council.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly called upon all sides to show restraint, but his appeals have thus far had no effect.

UN Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmund Mullet said that all 15 members of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia had to leave the Kodori gorge on the insistence of the Abkhaz authorities.

He said the mission staff were unable to gather information from the Georgian side and were thus forced to rely on Russian media reports.