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.”

“We expect Russia to ensure that all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, airports, roads and airspace, remain open for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for civilian transit,” he said.

The Kremlin did not directly respond on this point.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared Aug. 13 a day of mourning for “the humanitarian disaster” in Georgia.

In the U.S., the presumed presidential nominees of both major parties backed Mr. Bush’s approach.

“I welcome President Bush’s decision to send aid to the people of Georgia,” said Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat.

Mr. Obama also took a hard line with Moscow, warning that “Russia must not use this moment to consolidate a position that violates Georgia’s territorial integrity, or to violate the human rights of the people of Georgia.”

Mr. Obama also said that the U.S. and Europe should “review our multilateral and bilateral arrangements with Russia in light of its actions.”

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, said NATO should reassess its relationship with Russia under the “Partnership for Peace” arrangement that made partners of the former Cold War foes during the Clinton administration.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware Democrat and Foreign Relations Committee chairman, applauded Mr. Bush’s response but said the president needed to deliver it directly to Russia’s leaders.

“President Bush should be speaking regularly and directly to Prime Minister [Vladimir] Putin and President Medvedev so that there is no misunderstanding of the United States’ position,” Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Bush has not spoken with either Russian leader since Sunday’s conversation with Mr. Medvedev.

Georgia, a former Soviet Republic of about 4 million people, has been humiliated militarily by Russia during a nearly weeklong conflict.

Georgian refugees have streamed into Tbilisi and the western Black Sea coast while South Ossetian refugees headed north to Russia. Those left behind in devastated regions of Georgia cowered in rat-infested cellars or wandered nearly deserted cities, the Associated Press reported from near the Georgian city of Gori.

The rights group Human Rights Watch said Wednesday that it has witnessed South Ossetian fighters looting ethnic Georgians’ houses and has recorded multiple accounts of Georgian militias intimidating ethnic Ossetians. The report was important independent confirmation of the claims by each side in the Russia-Georgia conflict.

During a telephone briefing with reporters Wednesday, Mr. Saakashvili said Russian troops were burning villages and taking Georgian hostages in South Ossetia.

Photographers south of Gori saw irregular troops in armored vehicles among the traffic. Most had no identification, but one soldier had the South Ossetian flag on his arm.

The current chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, called for strict observance of the cease-fire and proposed increasing military monitoring in the area.

About 2,000 people are estimated dead in the fighting. About 100,000 have been displaced, and there are unconfirmed reports and accusations of atrocities on both sides of the conflict.

Mr. Bush said he was “concerned about reports that Georgian citizens of all ethnic origins are not being protected.”

“All forces, including Russian forces, have an obligation to protect innocent civilians from attack,” he said.

Russia has destroyed much of Georgia’s military arsenal, which had been compiled with help from the U.S. government in an effort to prepare the fledgling democracy for membership in NATO. Georgia also has supplied troops to the U.S.-led effort in Iraq.

The president said Miss Rice “will personally convey America’s unwavering support for Georgia’s democratic government” while in Tbilisi.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.