Georgia pulls out of S Ossetia

Georgia said on Sunday that it was pulling its troops out of the separatist province of South Ossetia, but its appeals for a ceasefire in the widening conflict in the Caucasus failed to halt Russia’s mounting military response.

As the focus of the fighting widened from South Ossetia to Abkhazia, another separatist region within Georgia, Russian aircraft were reported to have struck at targets inside Georgia, including the civilian airport in the capital Tbilisi.

Local officials said Russia also deployed a naval squadron off the coast of Abkhazia where local separatists have historically enjoyed Russia’s support.

As the Russian army consolidated its position in South Ossetia, Moscow’s overall aims were yet to be made clear. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, said on Sunday that Georgia should unconditionally withdraw its forces from the conflict zone and sign a pledge not to attack South Ossetia.

President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia accused Russia of seeking to take over his country. “They want the whole of Georgia,” he said in a magazine interview published on Sunday.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council met to tackle the mounting crisis, and the US and other western states were expected to press for a formal UN resolution demanding a ceasefire in what envoys described as the most serious world crisis for years. At least 2,000 people, including civilians, are estimated to have died on both sides.

Moscow has yet to respond to individual appeals from its Security Council partners to end the fighting after Georgia said it was pulling out its troops.

Vitaly Churkin, Russian ambassador to the UN, said the Georgian announcement had yet to be matched by developments on the ground. “If they want to pull out, they are welcome to do that,” he said.

The UN’s fourth emergency session in three days was marked by a stiff exchange between the Russian and US envoys, reminiscent of the Cold War.

At the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador, said Russia was guilty of grave violations of Georgia’s territory and had shown intransigence in the face of international demands for a ceasefire.

Irakli Alasania, Georgian ambassador to the UN, accused Russia of indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations.

In Abkhazia, separatist leaders deployed troops and heavy weapons along the ceasefire line, according to Edmond Mulet of the UN’s peacekeeping department. International observers had reported the bombardment of nearby Georgian villages.

In a statement issued in Beijing, the White House warned that the “dangerous escalation” of conflict could have a “significant long-term impact on US-Russia relations”.

Additional reporting by Catherine Belton in Moscow