Putin: US behind war in Georgia

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin today accused the US of starting the fighting in Georgia.

The former president, still considered the country’s real leader, said America encouraged Georgia to attack the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

He told CNN the fighting that followed benefited one of the US presidential election candidates, without saying whether it was Barack Obama or John McCain.

Mr Putin said Russia had no choice but to invade Georgia after some of its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia were attacked during the invasion.

He said he was disappointed the US had not done more to stop Georgia’s attack.

Mr Putin is believed by many to still have the final say over Kremlin decisions. He was the first to speak out against Georgian actions and to visit Russia’s 58th army that bore the brunt of the fighting in Georgia.

Meanwhile Russia faced the prospect of more international isolation after France said the European Union was considering imposing sanctions following the Kremlin’s decision to officially recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s independence.

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said: “Sanctions are being considered ... and many other means as well.”

And eight Nordic and Baltic countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – called on Russia to reverse its decision to recognise the independence of the provinces.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was also rebuffed when he asked the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation alliance to sign a declaration of support for Russia’s role in the conflict in Georgia.

But China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan refused to join Russia in recognising the breakaway regions.

Mr Medvedev’s search for support in Asia had raised fears that the alliance would turn the furore over Georgia into a broader confrontation between East and West.

But China has traditionally been wary of endorsing separatists abroad, aware of its own problems with Tibet and Muslims in the western territory of Xinjiang.

The alliance’s unanimously endorsed joint statement made a point of stressing the sanctity of borders – two days after Russia sought to redraw Georgia’s territory.

“The participants ... underscore the need for respect of the historical and cultural traditions of each country and each people, and for efforts aimed at preserving the unity of the state and its territorial integrity,” the declaration said.

“Relying exclusively on the use of force has no prospects and hinders a comprehensive settlement of local conflicts,” the declaration added, in what could also be seen as criticism of Georgia, which tried to retake South Ossetia by force.

The alliance statement also expressed “deep concern” over the conflict and urged “the appropriate sides to resolve the existing problems through peaceful dialogue and apply efforts to reconciliation and promotion of negotiations.”

At the same time, the carefully crafted statement offered some praise of Moscow’s actions, at least in the context of the peace deal signed five days after the war began.

“The SCO member states welcome the adoption in Moscow on Aug. 12, 2008, of the six principles of resolving the conflict in South Ossetia and support the active role of Russia in promoting peace and cooperation in the given region,” the statement said.

::In a rare gesture of conciliation today Russian forces handed back 12 Georgian soldiers on the border of Abkhazia. The Georgians were seized ten days ago and paraded, blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs, on top of Russian armoured vehicles.

But there was also fresh conflict in the region. South Ossetia claimed to have shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane that was scouting the skies over the republic.