Georgia made a mistake, U.S. confesses
The Georgian government "made a mistake" by attacking Tskhinvali in early August, said Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, The Washington Times reports.
"The Georgian case is basically, 'Look, our people were attacked, our villages were being shelled, we'd been subjected to months of provocations from the Russians,' and that's basically true. But that doesn't mean that their decision was a wise one," he said.
He confirmed that the Bush administration has ordered a review of U.S. defense cooperation programs with Russia but is not about to draw up "mindless lists" of penalties that could alienate the Russian people while leaving Moscow's troops in Georgia.
After Russia sent troops into Georgia last month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked her advisers to "think this through in a serious way," Mr. Fried recalled. "Don't draw up mindless lists. Think where we need to be at the end of this administration and the beginning of the next administration," he said Miss Rice told her staff.
"The Georgian case is basically, 'Look, our people were attacked, our villages were being shelled, we'd been subjected to months of provocations from the Russians,' and that's basically true. But that doesn't mean that their decision was a wise one," he said.
He confirmed that the Bush administration has ordered a review of U.S. defense cooperation programs with Russia but is not about to draw up "mindless lists" of penalties that could alienate the Russian people while leaving Moscow's troops in Georgia.
After Russia sent troops into Georgia last month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked her advisers to "think this through in a serious way," Mr. Fried recalled. "Don't draw up mindless lists. Think where we need to be at the end of this administration and the beginning of the next administration," he said Miss Rice told her staff.
