Despite the Russian army’s advance toward Tbilisi onWednesday, Yakobashvili said he believes the cease-fire reached throughFrench mediation will hold.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili denied onWednesday night that Israel has suspended its military aid to thecountry. “I haven’t heard anything about that, and I haven’t had timeto think about that issue for some days,” he told Haaretz.
Saakashvili said he is aware of problems with supplying thepilotless drones that his army ordered from Israeli companies, but notof the stopping of any other shipments of military aid.
“The Israeli weapons have proved very effective,” he said at a press conference at his office. When asked whether the Israeli arms played a role in the military successes he claimed the Georgian army had achieved, he joked: “Are you asking me as a representative of Elbit or of Israel Aerospace Industries?”
To a reporter’s question about Jews who have fled the fighting and come to Israel, he said: “We have two Israeli cabinet ministers, one deals with war [Defense Minister David Kezerashvili], and the other with negotiations [State Minister for Territorial Integration Temur Yakobashvili], and that is the Israeli involvement here: Both war and peace are in the hands of Israeli Jews.”
<font size="2"><br /></font></td></tr> </tbody></table><font size="2" style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="t13">Toa reporter’s question about Jews who have fled the fighting and come toIsrael, he said: &quot;We have two Israeli cabinet ministers, one deals withwar [Defense Minister David Kezerashvili], and the other withnegotiations [State Minister for Territorial Integration TemurYakobashvili], and that is the Israeli involvement here: Both war andpeace are in the hands of Israeli Jews.&quot;</span></font></body></html>Yakobashvili is actually not an Israeli citizen.Saakashvili’s statements are part of his government’s attempt to bringother countries into its war against Russia. During the briefing,Saakashvili noted that he is in constant contact with U.S. VicePresident Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Hepromised that U.S. warships would be docking in Georgian ports within afew days to make sure they remain open.
Saakashvili tried to project confidence during the interview, butcould not completely hide the stress he is under. A few hours earlier,refugees from Gori held a spontaneous demonstration in front ofparliament, calling for Saakashvili to resign.
“We will fight to the death until the last Russian soldier leavesGeorgian territory,” Saakashvili told reporters. “We will neversurrender.”
He characterized the announcements against him by Russia’sgovernment, blaming him for the suffering of the Georgian people, as”typical Nazi propaganda.” He accused Russia of ethnic cleansing in theGeorgian villages in the north of the country. “If Georgia falls, allof the energy supply routes will be blocked,” he said.
Saakashvili told the press conference that he expected Russia’snext victims to be the Baltic countries. He accused Russian PrimeMinister Vladimir Putin of “trying to take revenge on the UnitedStates, but instead of attacking the Sixth Fleet he found himself aneasier target.”