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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| U.S. to take control of Georgian ports: Saakashvili |
| 2008-08-13 |
| President George W. Bush's pledge to send aid to Georgia means that the U.S. military will take control of the ex-Soviet state's ports and airports, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Wednesday. "You have heard the statement by the U.S. president that the United States is starting a military-humanitarian operation in Georgia," Saakashvili said in a television address. "It means that Georgian ports and airports will be taken under the control of the U.S. defense ministry in order to conduct humanitarian and other missions. This is a very important statement for easing tension." |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #13 abominable, the sad thing is from a weather and location point of view living in Cuba would be far superior but I bet Georgians are tied to the dirt under their feet as most people are so they wouldn't consider even an advantageous swap. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-08-13 21:02 |
| #12 We're working on it. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-13 19:34 |
| #11 We have an identity thief and awfully smelling troll in one package here. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-08-13 19:26 |
| #10 If Venezuela wants to buy rusty out of spec russian arms then that is their business. Last I heard, the quality was a deal breaker, and they couldn't even make the numbers on the units. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-13 18:39 |
| #9 Do we get to have one of our own? I think we're coming up on the 60th anniversary or so of its death in a couple years. Maybe we could arrange a trade. We get Cuba and Venezuela, they get Georgia, any Cubans and Venezuelans that still believe in Tsarist-Marxism can go live in Georgia, and the Georgians who want to be free can come live in Cuba. Everyone will have a nice neat tidy sphere of influence without anyone being shot or having to live with something they don't. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2008-08-13 14:45 |
| #8 "We are not looking to, nor do we need to, take control of any air or sea ports to conduct this mission," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said. "The role of the U.S. military is strictly to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the victims of this conflict," Morrell said. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 14:41 |
| #7 Putin should just declare his own Monroe Doctrine. |
| Posted by: penguin 2008-08-13 14:36 |
| #6 Speaking to the BBC, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said attacks by Russian forces on Georgian military targets outside the South Ossetia region were both legal and necessary. He said Russia had to destroy Georgian artillery systems and bomb military airports in order to protect its peacekeepers in South Ossetia, a number of whom had already been killed by Georgian forces. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-13 14:31 |
| #5 Wow, if true my plan for putting a striker brigade and some patriots in Georgia as peace keepers will prove to be true. Bush seems to be interested in keeping Russia from putting the screws on Europe's energy. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-13 14:28 |
| #4 sorry, early click. He's also selling arms to Venezuela hand over fist. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-13 14:24 |
| #3 He's offered to re-establish Russian support for Cuba |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-13 14:24 |
| #2 If I was Putin, my next move would be a fleet visit to Cuba and Venezuela. It would have to big enough to make the news. He should make sure that he brings enough ships for towing duty, since these ships were built in the Soviet Union. |
| Posted by: penguin 2008-08-13 14:23 |
| #1 HMMMMM! US troops on the ground in Georgia. Nothing from Russia on this? They must be grinding their teeth. This is a big reversal for Putin. I bet he didn't believe we would do that. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-08-13 14:21 |