Britannia Radio

TELEGRAPH 13.8.08 at 11.41 pm
Russia 'annexes' a fifth of Georgia

Russia altered the balance of power in Europe when the Kremlin halted
its attack on Georgia after its forces had effectively annexed 18 per
cent of the country.

By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor

Russia closed its Five Day War in full control of Georgia's breakaway
regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which total more than 4,800
square miles of the neighbouring state.

While Russian troops have been deployed in these enclaves since 1992,
they have never previously controlled their entire territory.

Having achieved this by force, Moscow's terms for a permanent truce
would cement its gains. The Kremlin has also demonstrated its
indifference to western opinion and its willingness to use force to
prevent a former Soviet republic from joining Nato.

President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia declared a ceasefire and agreed
six principles for peace during a meeting in Moscow with President
Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which currently holds the presidency of
the European Union. Under these proposals, all forces must return to
their positions at the outset of the war on August 7 and allow full
access for humanitarian aid.
But Russia's foreign ministry had additional demands.

The Kremlin wants a buffer zone around South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
from which all Georgian forces would be excluded. Russia also seeks a
treaty guarantee that Georgia will never use force to recapture them.

These demands would safeguard what amounts to Moscow's de facto
annexation of the two enclaves.

After the mauling suffered by his army during five days of fighting,
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia may have little choice but
to agree.

Mr Sarkozy flew from Moscow to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi last night.
He was expected to present his six points and Russia's additional
demands to Mr Saakashvili. [LATE NEWS : Newsnight announced at
11.15pm that the Georgian president has accepted the terms of the
agreement -cs] For his part, Georgia's leader declared a unilateral
ceasefire on Sunday.

Mr Medvedev halted operations after Russia's army achieved its
primary aim - controlling Abkhazia and South Ossetia and inflicting
severe damage on Georgia's forces. Moscow says its army acted only
after Georgian forces struck inside South Ossetia and killed
"thousands" of Russian citizens. Mr Saakashvili did send his army
into the enclave last Thursday - although Georgia denies any atrocities.

"I've decided to finish the operation to force the Georgian
authorities to peace. The safety of our peacekeeping forces and
civilian population has been restored. The aggressor has been
punished, having sustained considerable losses. Its armed forces have
been disorganised, " Mr Medvedev said.

But the president ordered his defence minister, Anatoliy Serdukov, to
respond to any Georgian attempt to fight back. "Should centres of
resistance or other aggressive attempts arise, you must take the
decision to destroy them," said Mr Medvedev.

Earlier, Russian troops pulled out of Georgian territory, leaving the
crucial road junction at Senaki in the west of the country, and
returning to positions in the two breakaway regions.

Mr Sarkozy described the ceasefire as "good news" and said that a
"permanent cessation" was now needed.

Before meeting the French leader, Mr Medvedev betrayed his scorn for
Mr Saakashvili. Calling the Georgian a "lunatic", Mr Medvedev said:
"You know, the difference between lunatics and other people is that
when they smell blood it is very difficult to stop them. So you have
to use surgery."

Observers believe Mr Saakashvili' s decision to move into South
Ossetia last week followed about two weeks of provocation by Russian
forces and their client militias. "Russia wanted to manoeuvre
Saakashvili into a situation where he would be seen to be making the
first move and then provide a pretext for Russian action," said an
observer.

Mr Medvedev said it was now "up to Georgia" to accept the peace
terms. Shortly after he declared the ceasefire, Russian shells landed
in the central square of the town of Gori, 15 miles inside Georgia.
At least five people were killed - but most of Gori's inhabitants had
already fled.

By last night, however, the ceasefire appeared to be taking hold.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, broke off his holiday in
Minorca, joining a conference call with foreign ministers from the G7
group of rich nations yesterday. He is expected to meet European
Union foreign ministers in Brussels today.

David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, called on Nato to
respond to Russia by "accelerating the path" to membership Georgia
and Ukraine.

The war is thought to have claimed about 2,000 lives since last
Thursday. Mr Saakashvili addressed a defiant rally attended by tens
of thousands of people in Tbilisi yesterday. He accused Russia of
trying to conquer Georgia and vowed to uphold the nation's
independence. "Georgia will never surrender," he said.