Global News Journal
Beyond the World news headlines
Was South Ossetia’s fate sealed in Kosovo?
Is Kosovo to blame for the fighting in South Ossetia?
When the Serbian province seceded from Belgrade in February, South Ossetia was quick to reassert its own claim to international recognition.
As a spokeswoman for separatist leader Eduard Kokoity told Reuters at the time: “The Kosovo precedent has driven us to more actively seek our rights.”
Those remarks will not have gone unheard in Tblisi and could well have added some urgency to Georgia’s desire to impose its rule over breakaway South Ossetia.
With widespread Western backing, Kosovo was able to achieve a fairly clean break with its former ruler, despite Russian objections.
Now Moscow is backing the separatists and it’s far from clear how things will play out this time.
Giles, in your report of “Under-fire Saakashvili defends Georgia war” you “But at the time, there was no public statement from the Georgian leadership that Russian forces were invading. The shelling of Tskhinvali after a ceasefire of several hours and the subsequent ground assault was justified as a response to rebel shelling of Georgian villages.”
What story have you been following?
Please see Saakashvili’s interviews that he gave to international media (CNN, BBC) immediately following the start of the conflict. He clearly says that he decided to mobilize the troops AFTER he got intelligence of Russian troops crossing the border. Please, revise the article at once.