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| Bosnia rejects Russian allegations about weapon exports to Georgia | |
| 2008-08-15 | |
(Xinhua) -- Bosnia-Herzegovina rejected on Thursday allegations from the Russian Defense Ministry that it was one of the countries which exported weaponry to Georgia. "The Bosnian Presidency has not okayed any transfer of arms surplus to that country," said Haris Silajdzic, chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina''s collective presidency, the Bosnian news agency FENA reported from the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.
Earlier on Thursday the Bosnian media cited a statement issued by the Russian Defense Ministry before the recent military intervention in South Ossetia, which claimed that Bosnia-Herzegovina was on a list of countries that military assisted Georgia. Bosnian Deputy Defense Minister Igor Crnadak said that the Russian ministry had given misinformation and his country neither sold nor donated any arms to Georgia. The Russian ministry reported that apart from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the United States, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Israel, Serbia and Ukraine supplied Georgia with weapons. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 The Wall Street Journal has a long report on today's front page, above the fold, about the fact that Georgia has not committed genocide. link There are quotes and photos from named foreign reporters in South Ossetia and Georgia proper about the actual situation on the ground there: Russian troops continuing to attack, irregular troops looting and burning -- including stealing from foreign reporters in front of the cameras -- and the very small number of dead and wounded observed in local hospitals. There are also several other articles, photo esssays and videos on the subject. Not to mention op-ed pieces all this week. The Wall Street Journal feels strongly about this. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-15 18:36 |
| #3 All agreed LH, but I wonder if there are several other layers going on here. 1 - Is the fighting over, or not? 2 - Russia has made this charge, serially, by my count, against Israel, the US, and now Bosnia - throw in the Ukraine and Polish comments - and it gets one thinking what has already happened. By that I mean we haven't seen much in the way of statistics since the very first wave of charges (Georgia killed 2,000 Ossetes - genocide; 2, 4 or 10 Soviet jets downed, etc...) 3 - The dire reports of "panic", "rout", "despair" and so forth, accompanying Soviet advances, BUT, there stand everyone in outdoor rallies in Tblisi, and are there any POW's taken? Where's the Georgian army? We know 2,000 of them returned from Iraq? 4 - Now we have, from what I can tell, random newsies wandering behing Russian lines and at the "front", wherever it is; a few random shootings/lootings/forays by Russian/irregular troops noted - the reports from Tblisi, and not much else. Granted, it's a small country, but I wonder what sort of defensive surprises await further Russian actions, or behind the lines guerrilla actions nobody is reporting. If and when the USN arrives, they sea and air will both be stymied, which tends to even up ground activity - particularly since the armor is no longer of military use (marauding yes, but attack or defense, not really). Finally, is Russia losing whatever propaganda value they ever had by staying? When the finally leave, what will the reporting look like? What will they have done? How can they dress up the mess they've made? |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Idiot Suppression Division 2008-08-15 17:39 |
| #2 SU is spot on. The russians continue to try to imply that Georgia is not sovereign. And its amazing how many in the west seem to agree. Other day Max Boot says lets send stingers to Georgia - and everyone from Andrew Sullivan to Belgravia Dispatch et al get their panties in a twist, about reckless, warlike, boot. Now leaving aside qs of timing and practicalities, what the hell is wrong with selling weapons to a soveriegn nation state? Russia does it all the time. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-15 09:32 |
| #1 What the fuck does it matter who supplies weapons to Georgia, Pooty-boy? It's a fuck sovereign country! None of your fucking business! |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-08-15 02:19 |