Fighting in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia in August

caused dozens - possibly hundreds - of deaths and widespread

destruction.
Georgian, Russian and South Ossetian forces were all involved. There
were also clashes in Abkhazia, and Russian attacks on other parts of
Georgia.
The separatist administrations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been
trying to gain formal independence since breaking away in the early
1990s. Russia has now recognized them as independent - a move
condemned by Western nations.
Tensions in both regions began to escalate after Mikhail Saakashvili was
elected Georgian president in 2004, on a promise to re-unite the country.
The conflicts had remained largely frozen, despite occasional flare-ups,
before August 2008.
What triggered the crisis?
A series of clashes between Georgian and South Ossetian forces in the
summer of 2008 prompted Georgia to launch an aerial bombardment and
ground attack on South Ossetia on 7 August.
Georgian forces controlled the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, for
part of the following day.
Russia, meanwhile, poured thousands of troops into South Ossetia, and
launched bombing raids both over the province and on targets in the rest
of Georgia.
There have been unverified reports of war crimes on both sides.
Did the Russian forces enter South Ossetia before or after the
Georgian attack?
This is unclear.
Georgia says it began its assault after learning that a large convoy of
Russian armour was coming through the Roki tunnel, from North Ossetia
into South Ossetia.
Russia says it acted to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia, and its
own peacekeepers stationed in the breakaway region.
How did the conflict develop?
Russian forces occupied parts of Georgia adjoining South Ossetia,
including the town of Gori, a strategic town on the main road linking
eastern and western Georgia.
They also moved from bases in Abkhazia into parts of western Georgia,
and the Russian fleet went into action against the Georgian navy.
Abkhaz forces recaptured the Kodori Gorge - a region of Abkhazia taken
by Georgian troops in 2006.
Who are the main casualties?
Large numbers of civilians were driven out of their homes in South
Ossetia. Many South Ossetians crossed over to the Russian republic of
North Ossetia.
Residents of Georgian villages in South Ossetia, and the town of Gori,
also fled.
The heavy fighting left the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, largely in
ruins.
Why is Russia involved?
More than half of South Ossetia's 70,000 citizens are said to have taken
up Moscow's offer of Russian citizenship. Russia says its actions were
designed to protect those citizens.
Russia also had peacekeepers based in South Ossetia. Some of these
were killed in the Georgian attack on 7 August.
Until recently, Russia said it respected Georgia's territorial integrity, and
only wanted to look out for Russian citizens.
But, following Georgia's military action, Russia recognized the
independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia on 26 August.
The US and France were swift to condemn Russia's move, calling it
"regrettable," while the the UK categorically rejected it. Nato said the
declaration violated numerous UN Security Council resolutions that
Russia itself had endorsed.
Russia has also signed friendship treaties with the breakaway regions,
formalizing diplomatic ties and pledging military assistance.
Does Georgia have links to Nato?
President Saakashvili has made membership of Nato one of his main
goals - and Nato agreed in April 2008 that Georgia would become a
member of the alliance at some unspecified date in the future.
The country has had a close relationship with the United States - sending
troops to join the US-led coalition in Iraq.
The US has helped to train and arm the Georgian military. It also helped
Georgian troops return from Iraq after the Russian incursion into South
Ossetia.
What is the status of South Ossetia?
South Ossetia has run its own affairs since fighting for independence
from Georgia in 1991-92, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet
Union. Like the other breakaway region, Abkhazia, it declared its
independence - but so far only Russia and Nicaragua have recognised
them.
Why do Ossetians want to break away?
The Ossetians are a distinct ethnic group originally from the Russian
plains just south of the Don river. In the 13th Century, they were pushed
southwards by Mongol invasions into the Caucasus mountains, settling
along the border with Georgia.

South Ossetians want to join up with their ethnic brethren in North

Ossetia, which is an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.
Ethnic Georgians are a minority in South Ossetia, accounting for less
than one-third of the population.
But Georgia rejects even the name South Ossetia, preferring to call it by
the ancient name of Samachablo, or Tskhinvali, after its main city.
Are tensions over energy supplies a factor in the conflict?
A Western-sponsored pipeline has been pumping Caspian oil from Azerbaijan
through Georgia to Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) pipeline can deliver up to 1.2 million barrels per day (b/d) of oil to
Western markets.
But the flow has been suspended since an explosion on part of the line in
eastern Turkey in August. The Georgia conflict has delayed a resumption of
deliveries.
A smaller oil export pipeline runs from Azerbaijan to Georgia's Black Sea port
of Supsa.
There are plans for another pipeline to take natural gas from Azerbaijan and
Central Asia, via Turkey to Austria.
The EU and US are anxious to diversify their energy sources, to avoid being
too dependent on supplies transiting through Russia. Moscow already controls
an oil export pipeline running from the Caspian to the Black Sea via the North
Caucasus.
Russian troops did not try to seize the BTC pipeline - and Moscow did not
highlight energy as an issue in the conflict. But fears of instability in the
Caucasus have made Western leaders and investors reassess their reliance on
the region's energy sources.
How has the international community responded to the conflict?
The US has expressed solidarity and backing for Georgia, calling
Russia's actions "an illegitimate, unilateral attempt to change the
country's borders by force".
On a trip to Georgia, US Vice-President Dick Cheney said Russia's
actions had cast "grave doubt" on the country's reliability as a partner
within the international system.
Georgia's European neighbours have been somewhat more divided over
how to react to the crisis at their heart. At an emergency summit in
Brussels, some member states pushed for sanctions against Russia,
seeking to isolate the country.
In the end, the EU condemned Russia's actions, called for it to meet the
terms of the French-brokered ceasefire and suspended talks on a new
partnership agreement with the bloc.
The US has pledged to provide a $1bn (£564m) aid package for
reconstruction, resettlement and humanitarian needs. The IMF too has
agreed in principle to give Georgia a $750m (£422m) loan to help repair
the conflict's damage.
What are EU observers doing in Georgia?
The European Union has sent more than 200 observers to Georgia, in
line with a 12 August ceasefire deal brokered by French President
Nicolas Sarkozy. Their operation began on 1 October and their mission's
initial duration is one year.
The unarmed observers, from 22 EU countries, are working in close co-
ordination with the United Nations and the European security body, the
OSCE.
One of their key tasks was to monitor the Russian troop withdrawal from
"security zones" established by Russia around South Ossetia and
Abkhazia.
Russia completed its troop pull-out as promised by 10 October, but it
plans to keep nearly 8,000 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russia has refused to let the monitors enter the two breakaway regions.
The EU observers have the task of ensuring that the situation stabilises in
the conflict zone, that human rights are not violated there and that
internally displaced people can return home. Their liaison work is aimed
at confidence-building and an easing of tensions.
How does the conflict mark a change in Russia's relations with the
world?
Russian intervention in Georgia has been followed by an explicit shift in
the country's foreign policy, laid out by the president. Mr Medvedev has
pledged to continue to defend the lives and dignity of its citizens,
wherever they are located.
He said that while Russia does not seek isolation, and desires friendly
relations with Europe and the US, it cannot accept a world order that
places a single state - even the US - as sole global decision-maker.
Russia, he said, seeks to maintain privileged interests in its spheres of
influence - including those bordering the country.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7549736.stm

Published: 2008/11/11 10:44:19 GMT