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Summary:
In the early 1990s, Georgia and its breakaway South Ossetia region had agreed to a Russian-mediated ceasefire agreement that provided for Russian "peacekeepers" to be stationed in the region. Moscow extended citizenship and passports to most ethnic Ossetians. Simmering long-time tensions erupted on the evening of August 7, 2008, when South Ossetia and Georgia accused each other of launching intense artillery barrages against each other. Georgia claims that South Ossetian forces did not respond to a ceasefire appeal but intensified their shelling, "forcing" Georgia to send in troops. On August 8, Russia launched large-scale air attacks and dispatched troops to South Ossetia that engaged Georgian forces later in the day. By the morning of August 10, Russian troops had occupied the bulk of South Ossetia, reached its border with the rest of Georgia, and were shelling areas across the border. Russian troops occupied several Georgian cities. Russian warships landed troops in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region and took up positions off Georgia's Black Sea coast. On August 12, Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev declared that "the aim of Russia's operation for coercing the Georgian side to peace had been achieved and it had been decided to conclude the operation.... The aggressor has been punished." Medvedev endorsed some elements of a European Union (EU) peace plan presented by visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The plan calls for both sides to cease hostilities and pull troops back to positions they held before the conflict began. It calls for allowing humanitarian aid and facilitating the return of displaced persons. It calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian combat troops from Georgia, but allows Russian "peacekeepers" to remain and to patrol in a larger security zone outside South Ossetia. The plan also may provide for a possibly greater international role in peace talks and peacekeeping, both of seminal Georgian interest. On August 15, Secretary Rice traveled to Tbilisi and obtained Saakashvili's agreement to the plan. On August 22, the Russian military withdrew from some areas but also continued to occupy other areas. On August 25, President Medvedev declared that "humanitarian reasons" led him to recognize the independence of the regions. This recognition has been widely condemned by the United States and the international community. On August 13, President Bush announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would travel to France and Georgia to assist with the peace plan and that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would direct U.S. humanitarian aid shipments to Georgia. Congress had begun its August 2008 recess when the conflict began, but many members spoke out on the issue. On August 12, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden warned Russia that its aggression in Georgia jeopardized congressional support for legislation to collaborate with Russia on nuclear energy production and to repeal the Jackson-Vanik conditions on U.S. trade with Russia. Senators McCain and Obama both condemned the Russian military incursion, called for a re-evaluation of U.S.-Russia relations, and urged NATO to soon extend a MAP to Georgia.
