Washington condemns Russian airstrike

The White House has issued a strongly-worded statement all but accusing Russia of lying about a purported bomb attack on civilians in Georgia.

“The United States is deeply concerned about credible reports that Russian military aircraft indiscriminately bombed villages in northern Georgia on August 23,” White House press secretary Ari Fleischer yesterday said, adding that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe verified the bombardments.

“The United States regrets this loss of life and deplores the violation of Georgia’s sovereignty,” Mr Fleischer’s statement continued.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell relayed the same message to his Russian counterpart, Mr Fleischer told a reporter.

Russian military officials had denied Georgia’s claim that Russian aircraft bombed its territory, killing at least one person and wounding five others.

Mr Fleischer, in unusually harsh tones for an administration that has warmed considerably to Russia over the past 19 months, said “yesterday’s attacks and their denial by the Russian Government” belie Russian assurances that Moscow shares US respect for Georgia’s independence and territorial sovereignty.

“In this context, we call again urgently for a political settlement to the conflict in Chechnya, which would contribute to stability in both Russia and Georgia, and advance our efforts to fight terrorism and establish peace in the Caucasus,” Mr Fleischer said.

The White House condemnation comes as US relations with Russia are already being tested by Moscow’s recent overtures to Iran and Iraq.

But Mr Fleischer said that his statement does not reflect any souring of the US-Russian relationship, nor an erosion of Mr Bush’s trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin as a solid partner in the coalition against terrorism.

When Mr Putin greeted North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Il, with a kiss on Friday, it completed the round of contacts between Russia and the three countries Mr Bush has identified as an “axis of evil” because of their efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Although Mr Putin has supported the US campaign against terrorism, he has also tried to assert a Russian foreign policy independent of the Bush administration and has worked for ties with Iran, Iraq and North Korea rather than ostracising them.

Late last month, the Russian government signalled it was interested in building even more nuclear reactors in Iran than the one already under construction at the Iranian port of Bushehr.

And last week, Russian officials said they were close to signing a five-year, €41.1bn economic pact with Iraq.

Further evidence that the US and Russia are on diverging paths came just hours before Mr Putin’s embrace of Kim on Friday, when the State Department announced that the Bush administration had imposed sanctions on a North Korean company for selling Scud missile parts to Yemen.

But Mr Fleischer said that US officials were not especially worried by the Putin-Kim exchange, adding it was nothing unusual since the two men have met before.

Asked if Mr Bush continues to have confidence in the Russian President, Mr Fleischer replied: “Absolutely”.