THE flagship of the US Navy's Sixth Fleet dropped anchor off Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti today

US warship docks in Georgia

Source: The Australian

THE flagship of the US Navy's Sixth Fleet dropped anchor off Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti today, where Russian troops have been patrolling since last month's war with Georgia.

The USS Mount Whitney, a sophisticated command warship based in Italy, is the third US vessel to arrive on the Georgian coast with humanitarian aid for tens of thousands displaced by the conflict over Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia.

The oil and dry grain shipment port of Poti is patrolled by Russian troops, who Moscow says are carrying out peacekeeping duties.

Georgia and its Western allies say their presence is part of an illegal occupation.

US warship carries aid to Georgian port of Poti

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6 ex-Soviet neighbors back Russia over Georgia

Source: AP

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia scored an important diplomatic victory Friday when it secured support from six other former Soviet nations for its war in Georgia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that he and other leaders of nations that are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization signed a declaration Friday condemning Georgia's attack aimed at regaining control of its breakaway province of South Ossetia.

The declaration said members of the group are «deeply concerned about an attempt by Georgia to solve the conflict in South Ossetia by force which has led to numerous casualties among civilian population and peacekeepers and entailed grave humanitarian consequences.

The declaration also supported an «active role of Russia in helping peace and security in the region» and spoke about the need to «ensure firm security for South Ossetia and Abkhazia,» the two breakaway Georgian provinces whose independence Moscow has recognized.
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The Russian-led security group links Russia with Armenia, Belarus and four Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The support from resource-rich Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which have been courted by the West, is particularly important for Russia.

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