Bush sends aid to occupied Georgia

President Bush dispatched U.S. military forces Wednesday to the small Caucasus nation of Georgia to deliver “humanitarian aid” to the Western-leaning nation that is partly occupied by Russian troops.

Mr. Bush also sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a diplomatic mission to France and then to Georgia to “rally the free world at the defense of a free Georgia.”

Miss Rice departed for Paris on Wednesday evening.

The president spoke to reporters at the White House with Miss Rice on his right and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on his left, and said he had asked Mr. Gates to “begin a humanitarian mission to the people of Georgia headed by the United States military.”

“A U.S. C-17 aircraft with humanitarian supplies is on its way,” Mr. Bush said. “And in the days ahead we will use U.S. aircraft as well as naval forces to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies.”

White House press secretary Dana Perino said later Wednesday that the first plane had arrived in Georgia and that a second would touch down there Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mocked the U.S. alliance with Georgia, a former Soviet republic that has aligned itself strongly with the U.S. and other Western countries, and said the U.S. will have to choose between a partnership with Russia or Georgia.

“We understand that this current Georgian leadership is a special project of the United States, but one day the United States will have to choose between defending its prestige over a virtual project or real partnership which requires joint action,” Mr. Lavrov said, according to a Reuters dispatch.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Mr. Bush’s announcement meant “definitely an American military presence” in Georgia and “a turning point.”

In an interview with the New York Times, he said he expected the U.S. military to secure Georgian seaports and its main airport.

The White House unequivocally rejected any hint that its mission was military in nature.

“U.S. military personnel are involved in humanitarian missions. They will not be securing the ports,” said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

The White House said it was not forewarned of last week’s military move by Georgia into its breakaway province of South Ossetia, which is backed by Moscow. Russian forces invaded Georgia in retaliation.

Mr. Bush called for Moscow to cease all military operations and withdraw its troops from Georgia, expressing concern about reports that Kremlin forces were occupying the central Georgian city of Gori and had destroyed Georgian ships in the port city of Poti, in violation of a cease-fire agreement reached Tuesday.

He also called on Russia to “honor its commitment to let in all forms of humanitarian assistance.”

Story Continues →