Russia Says Military Action In Georgia Is Over

However, why would Saakashvili become a threat to the existence of Gerogia, a country that he started to seriously reform four years ago?

Who was trying to achieve what with this military action will be known in coming fact when the dust settles. So let's wait and see the developments. In the meanwhile here are the details of halting the military action by Russia provided by RFERL.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has announced in the Kremlin that he has ordered the halt of Russian military operations in Georgia.

"I have made a decision to end the operation to force the Georgian authorities to peace. The goals of the operation have been achieved," he said. "The safety of our peacekeeping forces and the civilian population has been established. The aggressor has been punished and has suffered significant losses. Its armed forces are disorganized.

"Nevertheless," he continued, "if there are little pockets of opposition and other aggressive manifestations, we will make a decision to liquidate them."

Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Reuters just after the announcement that Tbilisi needs more evidence to confirm that military operations have ended, and remains "prepared for everything."

"Everyone in this situation needs a signed binding agreement," he told the news agency.

Peace Negotiations

Medvedev is due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Moscow shortly. France, the current president of the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have been trying to broker an end to the hostilities.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, whose country currently chairs the OSCE, said on August 11 that the Georgian government had signed a cease-fire proposal.

The Russian president's announcement came as Georgian officials said that different locations throughout the country were being targeted by Russian bombing raids.

There were reports that gunfire could still be heard in Gori, a city near the de facto border with South Ossetia that has been pounded by Russian airstrikes in recent days, and Georgian Television reported prior to Medvedev's announcement that the city center had been hit by bombs.

In Washington on August 11, U.S. President George W. Bush used his toughest language yet to warn Russia to reverse course in Georgia and accept international mediation to end the crisis.

"Russia's government must respect Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Bush said in Washington, shortly after returning from the Olympic Games in Beijing. "The Russian government must reverse the course it appears to be on and accept this peace agreement as a first step toward resolving this conflict."

Fierce Fighting

Georgia and Russia have been engaged in fierce fighting since Georgian troops moved into the pro-Moscow breakaway region of South Ossetia on August 7 after exchanging gun and mortar fire with separatist forces for days.

The offensive sparked a furious reaction from Russia, which sent troops, military aircraft, and tanks to repel Georgian forces in South Ossetia. Fighting expanded to another Georgian breakaway region, Abkhazia, as Russian jets pounded strategic sites within Georgia proper.

By August 11, Russian troops had crossed the country's de facto border with Abkhazia.

Later that day, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told a meeting of the National Security Council that Russian forces had "cut off connections between western and eastern Georgia." In a televised address, he appealed to the West to intervene.

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