FACTBOX-Developments in Georgia
Source: Reuters
Aug 10 (Reuters) - Following are developments in Georgia at 1650 GMT on Sunday: ** Denotes new or updated items: ** Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Georgia should unconditionally withdraw its forces from the conflict zone in its breakaway region of South Ossetia. ** Tbilisi international airport was hit in a Russian air strike on Sunday, the Georgian Interior Ministry said. ** Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russia intends to take over his country to secure energy supply routes from central Asia. ** Georgia told Russia on Sunday it had ceased fire in South Ossetia and called for immediate negotiations on a full ceasefire agreement and "termination of hostilities". ** Georgia pulled troops from Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia, early on Sunday after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists. ** Russia bombed a military airport and aeroplane construction plant on the outskirts of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday evening, Georgian Interior Ministry said. ** Russia's navy also entered the conflict, deploying a flotilla off Georgia's Black Sea coast. The navy said the ships later moved towards a Russian Black Sea port. ** In a possible opening of a second front in the conflict, Georgia accused Russia of starting a military operation earlier on Sunday in Abkhazia, another separatist region of Georgia to the west of South Ossetia. Moscow denied involvement. -- An EU-U.S. delegation headed for Georgia to try to broker an end to the conflict. -- Georgia said Russia had landed 4,000 troops by sea in Abkhazia overnight. OTHER MOVES: ** The United States says it will offer a U.N. Security Council resolution later on Sunday condemning the Russian military "assault" against Georgia as unacceptable. ** Pope Benedict called for an immediate halt to the fighting, expressing "profound anguish" that the violence had caused many innocent victims. -- The White House on Sunday deplored Russia's military action in the Georgia conflict as "dangerous and disproportionate" and warned it could have a "significant long-term impact" on relations between Washington and Moscow. -- Britain advised its citizens to leave Georgia as soon as possible unless they had an urgent need to stay.
| AlertNet news is provided by |










