August 8, 2008 - 15:01 AMT
RF MFA: Georgian leadership should come to senses
The Russian Federation on Friday accused Georgia of backtracking on an agreement that was aimed at restoring peace in South Ossetia.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement claimed that Georgian military units undertook a treacherous, massive attack on Tskhinvali, despite all diplomatic efforts.

The statement further went on to question the credibility of the Georgian leadership, which it said was a responsible participant of the negotiation process and of the international intercourse corresponding to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

"It has become absolutely understandable why during a long period Tbilisi had under various pretexts stubbornly avoided concluding legally binding agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the non-use of force," the statement added.

Stating it is still not too late to prevent massive bloodshed and new casualties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, "The Georgian leadership should think better of it and return to civilized methods of solving the complicated issues of political settlement. We also expect that our foreign partners and the international community as a whole will not remain indifferent at this difficult moment when the destiny of the hundreds of thousands of people living in this region is being decided."