Weeks of tension between pro-Western Georgia and rebels in breakaway South Ossetia which has links with Russia has escalated into heavy fighting.
Russia says it has sent "reinforcements" into South Ossetia while Georgia says its forces control Tskhinvali, the region's capital, after launching an offensive. Witnesses cited by news agencies say 50 Russian tanks and trucks have entered South Ossetia. The government of Georgia's pro-Western President Mikhail Saakashvili claims to have shot down two Russian combat planes over Georgian territory. Earlier, Russia's defence ministry had denied a similar report. The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern over the escalating conflict but failed to endorse German FM calls for renewal of relations with Russia ...
Lithuania Cuts Deal to Lift Veto on EU-Russia Talks ... a Russian-sponsored statement urging the two sides to cease hostilities. The western alliance NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union have also called for an end to the fighting. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose foreign minister visited the region in July, has called for an immediate stop to all violence in South Ossetia.
(Deutsche Welle)
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