Russia, US hold rival war games in restive Caucasus: officials

TBILISI, Georgia - The United States and Russia held rival war games Tuesday on either side of the Caucasus mountains amid simmering tensions over the fate of two rebel regions in ex-Soviet Georgia.

Almost 8,000 Russian servicemen on Tuesday began anti-terror exercises across Russia's North Caucasus region, which borders Georgia, a spokesman for the Russian army told AFP.

In Georgia 1,650 U.S. and Georgian servicemen began rival exercises on the formerly Russian-controlled Vaziani base, the Georgian defence ministry said.

The Russian exercises were planned a year ago and "are in no way related to the U.S.-Georgian activities," Russian army spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Tensions between Georgia and Russia have soared in recent months as Moscow has increased its support for Georgia's rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia has angered Moscow by moving to join the NATO alliance.

The Russian exercises are in part designed to prepare forces for peacekeeping work in the Russia-backed regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Konashenkov said.

"In connection with the aggravated situation of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts . . . we will also work on participation in special operations to bring peace to zones of armed conflicts," he said.

Around 700 pieces of military hardware will be used during the exercises, he said.

U.S.-Georgia exercises within the framework of the NATO Partnership for Peace began Tuesday, Georgian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Nana Intskirveli told AFP.

Armenian, Azerbaijani and Ukrainian staff officers are also taking part in the exercises which will last for three weeks, she said.

U.S. troops start training exercise in Georgia - July 15, 2008 - Officials said the exercise, called "Immediate Response 2008", had been planned for months and was not linked to a stand-off between Moscow and Tbilisi over two Russian-backed separatists regions of Georgia. The United States is an ally of Georgia and has irritated Russia by backing Tbilisi's bid to join the NATO military alliance. "The main purpose of these exercises is to increase the cooperation and partnership between U.S. and Georgian forces," Brigadier General William B. Garrett, commander of the U.S. military's Southern European Task Force, told reporters.

U.S. Troubled by Russia’s Statement of Georgia’s Border Violation - July 15, 2008 - Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State Sean McCormack announced July 14... "We are deeply troubled by Russia’s statement that its military aircraft deliberately violated Georgia’s internationally recognized borders by flying over Georgia’s region of South Ossetia. Such actions raise questions about Russia's role as peacekeeper and facilitator of the negotiations and threaten stability throughout the entire region,” McCormack said in the statement available at the official web of the U.S. Department of State.

Overflights question Russia's Georgia role: NATO - July 15, 2008 - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO said on Tuesday it was troubled by Russian military overflights of Georgian territory, saying they called into question Moscow's role as a peacekeeper and facilitator of talks between Tbilisi and separatists.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged all parties, including Russia, to support Georgian territorial integrity as called for in U.N. Security Council resolutions, alliance spokesman James Appathurai said.

"The secretary general is concerned by the recent escalation of tension in Georgia, he is troubled by Russia's statement that its military aircraft deliberately overflew Georgian territory in violation of its territorial integrity," Appathurai said.

"These actions raise questions about Russia's role as peacekeeper and facilitator of negotiations," he said, speaking on behalf of De Hoop Scheffer.

Georgia's pro-Western government last week recalled its ambassador in Moscow in protest at Russia sending fighter jets into Georgian airspace. Tbilisi urged the West to condemn Russia's actions.

Russia said the flights were to prevent Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili from launching a military operation against the separatist South Ossetia region.

It was Russia's first admission for at least a decade that its air force had flown over Georgian territory without permission. Georgia has said in the past that Russia trespassed in its airspace but Moscow has always denied it.

Georgia Threatens To Shoot Down Jets - July 14, 2008 - Georgia will shoot down any Russian fighter jets that violate its airspace, two senior Georgian officials said Friday, a day after Russia's admission that it had flown sorties over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.

Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Iakobashvili said his country had the right to shoot down flights that violated its territorial integrity.

"It's the first time, probably, since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait that we see these sort of violations," Iakobashvili said by telephone from Tbilisi. "Obviously, Georgia has a sovereign right to defend its territory and airspace."

Georgia would nonetheless prefer to settle the dispute via diplomacy, Iakobashvili said.

Nika Rurua, deputy head of the Georgian parliament's defense and national security committee, accused Russia of trying to provoke a military confrontation with the flights and said Georgia would respond to such actions with force.

"If Russian warplanes infringe again into Georgian airspace, they will have to return to pick up the wreckage," Rurua told reporters in Tbilisi, Interfax reported.

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