BBC news 2008-08-21 加文本

BBC 2008-08-21

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Hello, welcome to the latest global news recorded at 0300 BST on Wednesday, the 20th of August. I'm Mark Whitaker with the selection of highlights from across BBC World Service news today.

And coming up, Russia rejects a proposed Security Council resolution on South Ossetia, accusing the French of changing the peace plan. But a warning from America, NATO will stand firm behind Georgia.

You have used your military power against the small neighboring state. You have demonstrated that you can terrorize civilian populations. We have demonstrated that you will not be able to undermine democracy and the Georgian state.

The crisis is in the Democratic Republic of Congo where millions are dying not from violence but from easily preventable diseases. And Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, Zambia's leader, has died. We'll hear a tribute from Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president.

The frost is settling in over Georgia and South Ossetia. Tuesday saw a dramatic ramping up of the rhetoric between western nations and Russia. The Russian ambassador of the UN Security Council has rejected the draft resolution on Georgia proposed by France, saying it fails to incorporate the terms of the ceasefire deal brokered by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week. Speaking after a meeting at the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said French demands for an immediate withdrawal were at odds with earlier principles agreed by Russia and France.

There is serious political work to implement the six principles, and there is propaganda, and sometimes when one listens to colleagues, one is sort of amazed. You were listening to Ambassador Whof, I also was listening to him. And he kept repeating immediate withdrawal of Russia forces, immediate withdrawal of Russia forces. This is not the wording, this is not the language of the six principles. The language and the logic of the six principles is exactly as they have [been] described and therefore, to have it also incorporated in the French draft resolution is not, is not accurate and is wrong.

Earlier in the day, NATO leaders meeting in Brussels had warned that normal relations with Russia would be impossible while Russian troops were still on Georgian soil. Russia's President Medvedev has said that his troops will pull back to the positions agreed in the ceasefire in the next few days. And as the war of words continues, here is a stark reminder of the devastation that the short conflict has caused. Because according to figures released by the United Nations, nearly 160, 000 people in the region have fled their homes. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, told the BBC the vast majority have fled into Georgia and are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

We have adopted 60, 000 people that fled into North Ossetia, into Russian federation. And there are about 128, 000 in Georgia. Most of them can't be supported. And it is very important that the international community gives strong help to the UN agency, to the NGO, in order to assist these population that fled conflict and are living in that difficult circumstances. (Www.hXen.com)


In Brussels meanwhile, the show of unity for NATO's would-be member Georgia has been strong if light on concrete action. But the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the BBC's Kim Ghattas that NATO was being as tough as it needed to be.

The strongest statement that you can make to Russia right now is: you have used your military power against the small neighboring state. You have demonstrated that you can bomb civilian ports, that you can terrorize civilian populations. You have demonstrated that you can occupy a railway or a strategic highway. You have demonstrated. We have demonstrated that you will not be able to undermine democracy and the Georgian state. And so what strategic objective have you achieved? That is really the strongest message that could be sent to Russia right now. Now it's also the case that we have sent a message to Russia that NATO will not permit a new line to develop in Europe between those states that are a part of the transatlantic structures and those states that still aspire. And that's why the creation of the NATO-Georgia Commission is important, why it's important that the Ukraine-NATO Commission will meet next week and so forth.

Would you understand Russia's concerns about its own backyard and those pro-western governments that are there and your alliance with them? I mean, surely the US will be concerned if suddenly Russia announced that it was going to revamp the Cuban military

Oh, we would certainly not be concerned if Russia wanted to have good relations with democratic states in Latin America. In fact, we have encouraged and have looked favorably on Russian good relations with the democracies of Latin America. What does Russia have to fear from a small democracy on their border? A state that, yes, is friendly to the West, but we've always encouraged to be friendly to Russia as well.