US suggests Russia wants "regime change" in Georgia

US suggests Russia wants "regime change" in Georgia

08.10.08, 2:26 PM ET

Russian Federation - (Recasts with U.S., Russian and Georgian envoys)

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The United States suggested onSunday that Russia was interested in "regime change" in Georgia afterMoscow rejected Tbilisi's offer of a cease-fire in the separatist region of South Ossetia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the president of Georgia "must go," theU.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the Security Council.

Khalilzad then looked straight at Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkinand asked if Moscow was looking for "regime change.""Is the goal of the Russian Federation to change the leadership ofGeorgia?" he said.Churkin did not directly address the question but said there areleaders who "become an obstacle.""Sometimes those leaders need to contemplate how useful they havebecome to their people," Churkin told reporters later.

"Regime change is purely an American invention," he said. "We're allfor democracy in Georgia."In Moscow, Lavrov said the departure of Georgian President MikheilSaakashvili was not a must to solve the crisis but that Russia nolonger saw him as a partner.

Khalilzad told reporters the telephone call between Rice and Lavrovwas "disturbing," adding that the days of overthrowing Europeangovernments by force were over.

The U.S. envoy said he would introduce a U.N. resolution condemningMoscow, even though Russia is a permanent council member with thepower to veto it.Russian troops took the capital of the separatist Georgian region ofSouth Ossetia earlier after a three-day battle as Georgian forcesretreated and the Tbilisi government offered a cease-fire and talks.'

CAMPAIGN OF TERROR'

Georgian envoy Irakli Alasania told the Security Council thatChurkin's comments were all "Soviet propaganda" and said Russiaintended to repeat what it did in Chechnya.Moscow plans to "erase Georgian statehood and exterminate the Georgianpeople," he said.

Khalilzad said Russia was waging "terror" in Georgia."We must condemn Russia's military assault on the sovereign state ofGeorgia ... including the targeting of civilians and the campaign ofterror against the Georgian population," he said.

Khalilzad also accused Russia of preventing the withdrawal of Georgianforces from South Ossetia to prolong the conflict and prevent Georgiafrom laying down its arms."Since Russia is impeding Georgian forces from withdrawing, rejectinga cease-fire and continuing to carry out military attacks againstcivilian centers, its claims of a humanitarian purpose clearly are notcredible," Khalilzad said.

Churkin reacted angrily at the suggestion that Russia was guilty ofterrorizing Georgians."This statement, ambassador, is completely unacceptable, particularlyfrom the lips of the permanent representative of a country whoseactions we are aware of, including with regard to the civilianpopulations in Iraq and Afghanistan and Serbia," Churkin told the council.

"Whatever your policy might be, please do not undertake propagandawithin the Security Council."Churkin also accused the United States of military collusion withGeorgia, saying Moscow knew very well that there was a large number of U.S. military advisers there. He said he hoped Washington did not givea "green light" for the Georgian invasion that sparked the conflict.