Lavrov tells Rice about Georgia’s numerous war crimes in S Ossetia

Itar-Tass
Monday, Aug 11, 2008

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday held a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The conversation was held on the initiative of the American side, Russian Foreign Ministry sources said.

Lavrov “stated our principled assessments of the developments in South Ossetia.” He “stressed that in the conditions of the persisting direct threat to the life of Russian citizens in South Ossetia, the Russian peacekeeping forces in accordance with the existing international agreements are continuing an operation to force the Georgian side to peace.” The minister also “pointed to the numerous war crimes of the Georgian troops against peaceful civilians of South Ossetia, which resulted in a major humanitarian catastrophe in the republic,” according to the sources.

Lavrov “stressed the necessity of the immediate withdrawal of the Georgian troops from South Ossetia to positions not violating the agreements between the sides, and of the signing by the conflict sides of a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force,” the Russian Foreign Ministry officials stressed.