FACTBOX - Developments in Georgia

Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:59pm EDT
 
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(Reuters) - Following are developments in Georgia at 11:00 p.m. British time on Sunday: ** Denotes new or updated items:

** French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrives in Tbilisi at the head of an international mediation mission. They were due to hold talks with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili then fly to Moscow on Monday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Georgia should unconditionally withdraw its forces from the conflict zone in its breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Tbilisi international airport was hit in a Russian air strike on Sunday, the Georgian Interior Ministry said.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russia intends to take over his country to secure energy supply routes from central Asia.

Georgia told Russia on Sunday it had ceased fire in South Ossetia and called for immediate negotiations on a full ceasefire agreement and "termination of hostilities".

Georgia pulled troops from Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia, early on Sunday after three days of heavy fighting with Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists.

Russia bombed a military airport and aeroplane construction plant on the outskirts of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday evening, Georgian Interior Ministry said.

Russia's navy also entered the conflict, deploying a flotilla off Georgia's Black Sea coast. The navy said the ships later moved towards a Russian Black Sea port.

In a possible opening of a second front in the conflict, Georgia accused Russia of starting a military operation earlier on Sunday in Abkhazia, another separatist region of Georgia to the west of South Ossetia. Moscow denied involvement.

-- An EU-U.S. delegation headed for Georgia to try to broker an end to the conflict.

-- Georgia said Russia had landed 4,000 troops by sea in Abkhazia overnight.

OTHER MOVES:

The United States says it will offer a U.N. Security Council resolution later on Sunday condemning the Russian military "assault" against Georgia as unacceptable.

Pope Benedict called for an immediate halt to the fighting, expressing "profound anguish" that the violence had caused many innocent victims.

-- The White House on Sunday deplored Russia's military action in the Georgia conflict as "dangerous and disproportionate" and warned it could have a "significant long-term impact" on relations between Washington and Moscow.

-- Britain advised its citizens to leave Georgia as soon as possible unless they had an urgent need to stay.

 

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