US embassy knew Georgians “moved forces” to South Ossetian border - WikiLeaks

Get short URL

Published time: November 29, 2010 09:01
Edited time: November 29, 2010 16:21

Tags

Abkhazia, Conflict, Georgia, Mass media, Military, Ossetian War, Politics, Russia, South Ossetia, USA

US diplomats in Georgia knew Tbilisi concentrated military force prior to the war over South Ossetia in 2008, the classified documents exposed by WikiLeaks show.

Part of the new portion of materials published by Wikileaks were dedicated to the 2008 conflict over South Ossetia. The cables sent by the US embassy in Georgia to Washington show signs of intensifying military confrontation between Georgians and South Ossetians in the conflict zone in the run-up to the full-scale war.

The US ambassador to Tbilisi John Tefft reportedly urged the Georgian Foreign Minister and the Deputy Minister of Defense “to remain calm, not overreact, and to de-escalate the situation,” the document reads. According to the embassy’s cable to Washington, Georgians explained their moves since August 6, 2008, by South Ossetia’s “shelling” of Georgian villages in the conflict zone.

Meanwhile, foreign military observers in the region issued “numerous reports that the Georgians are moving military equipment and forces toward the north.” According to the cable of the US embassy in Georgia, “OSCE observers indicated that Georgian forces along with GRAD artillery are on the move, either as part of a show of force or readiness, or both.”

The US diplomats had an impression that “Georgians are deploying troops to positions in Georgian territory to the south of the Zone of Conflict.” They were in “a heightened state of readiness in order to show their resolve,” the cable alleges.

The events developed intensively, and on August 8 the embassy had to send to Washington Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s statement to the diplomatic corps that Georgia “controlled most of South Ossetia.”

Russia had to defend its peacekeepers and civilian South Ossetians. After a brief armed conflict, Moscow recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

South Ossetia claims over 1,500 people perished during the conflict, RIA Novosti said. However, according to the news agency, Russian investigators confirmed the deaths of 162 South Ossetians and 48 Russian servicemen, including ten peacekeepers.

During Georgia’s attack, a total of 655 houses were destroyed and over 2,000 others partially collapsed in Tskhinval, South Ossetia’s capital.

Parts of the documents obtained by WikiLeaks have been sent to international media outlets and are expected to be published soon. Russian Reporter magazine said among the documents it had been offered, many concern the war over South Ossetia.

Despite Ambassador Tefft’s awareness of Georgia’s moves prior to the war, after it started he wrote to the US State Department that “a coordinated position should be prepared to respond to those who are not sure of ‘Georgia’s absolute innocence,’” the magazine said.

Reading cables from the US ambassadors in Georgia, NATO, the European Union and Moscow gives the impression that everybody in the world knew that “Saakashvili started a war,” Russian Reporter said. However, their official rhetoric contradicted “this understanding,” the magazine noted.

Comments (27)

GaryMax 01.12.2010 23:02

@Bogdanov
Thank you for the discourse. Please realize, I have understood your argument from the beginning, so there is no reason to continue to repeat it. But, outside of Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru, the rest of the world does not agree with it, and considers the two regions disputed territory of Georgia, not independent countries.

Undo

GaryMax 01.12.2010 16:33

@PR101
You can believe what you wish about Georgian stupidity and relative intelligences, but the current world order does not validate your "well considered view", in fact, it contradicts it. Of the post Soviet spaces, Georgia is the most successful or among the most successful, and Russia knows this. As far as encircling Russia, I think that has more to do with Soviet/Russian history in those spaces than any pro-active action of the USA. From the 1921 Red Army invasion to the 1989 Red Army massacre, there is a long history of Russian bullying of Georgia. And not only Georgia, but other post Soviet/Russian spaces.

Undo

Bogdanov 01.12.2010 16:12

GaryMax,
I spent hours on this website discussing S.Ossetian conflict. In fact, the only reason why I joined the RT forum (at August 10, 2008), was exactly that -- to discuss the conflict and determine the truth/facts about those August 2008 events. So, I am not going there again. I just want to say one more time -- there was no any period of time when S.Ossetia and Abkhazia were parts of modern Georgia!!! The decision about independence was made by the official governments and parliaments of those autonomous regions at the same time as Georgia declared its independence. There was no any separatist movements there. Both, S.Ossetia and Abkhazia became independent countries during collapse of the USSR and they, since then, were in the state of war with Georgia which made attempts to annex territories of those two countries. Georgia alone decided that it is their territory because it was part of the Soviet Georgia. But, people do not understand -- the modern Georgia and Soviet Georgia is not the same. What was part of the Soviet Georgia is not necessarily part of the current Georgia. Period. Regarding numbers of victim. From what I leaned about it in 2008, the original number was an estimation made by the Russian side during the first day of the conflict. The Georgians shelled the capital of S.Ossetia (Tskhinvali) and practically ruined it. Knowing number of people living there and kind of damage the type of weapon used by Georgians normally does, gave the estimated number. There was a number of youtube videos showing the images of Tskhinvali at that time. I could not believe myself that only 200 people died after such a deadly attack.

Undo

View all comments (27)