Georgia: Halt Russian Military Buildup

This is from the International News (Pakistan). It seems that Russia is going to expand its presence in both South Ossetia and Abkhazia whether Georgia and the west like it or not. It will be interesting to see if Obama confronts Russia over this or keeps quiet in order to improve relationships on other issues. It would seem that Russia is co-operating with the US insofar as allowing US supplies to go through Russia on route to Afghanistan.

Halt military buildup: Georgia

Wednesday, March 04, 2009
TBILISI: Georgia’s defence minister appealed to the West to halt what he said was a continuing Russian military build-up in two breakaway Georgian regions, adding that a fresh Russian attack ‘cannot be ruled out’.

The Kremlin recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states in the wake of last year’s five-day war between Russia and Georgia, when Moscow smashed a Georgian assault on South Ossetia.

Defence Minister David Sikharulidze told Reuters in an interview late on Monday that Russia’s war aim had been ‘regime change’, but it had failed. Moscow’s continued military build-up in the absence of international monitoring meant the situation ‘remains fragile’, he said.

The minister said Tbilisi had observed activity at the site of a proposed Russian naval base in the breakaway Black Sea territory of Abkhazia and understood that a Soviet-era military base near the Abkhaz resort town of Gudauta was ‘fully operational’ and under Russian control. Moscow is keen to re-establish its military influence in strategic former Soviet territories but the EU and the US have said any new Russian bases in the breakaway regions would violate a ceasefire accord which ended last year’s war.

‘Both the European Union and United States made their position very clear with regard to these activities. If this political pressure continues, it would play an important role in ... stopping the Russians doing what they are doing,’ Sikharulidze told Reuters.

‘The security environment is a concern. This represents a danger not only for Georgia but for the entire region.’

Asked later if new conflict was possible, he replied:

‘Our mission is to be ready to resist if the Russians decide to attack Georgia, major cities, vital links of communications again. Our understanding is that this cannot be ruled out.’

Trip to the Philippines

We drove to Winnipeg on Saturday and stayed over at the Airport Inn. Fortunately they allowed us to park our car for a month saving us a bundle compared to some of the park and fly places by the airport.
The flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver next day was uneventful but when we arrived in Vancouver in the middle of the afternoon we had to wait for the flight to Manila at 10:45 pm.
We had our bags booked through to Manila so we just had to get a boarding pass. Of course the PAL station was not open.
We inquired at information and were told that it opened at six. At six it did not open. So we inquired again. We were then told that it opened three hours before the flight or about 6:15. Hmm..! Three hours before 10:45 would be 7:45 not 6:15. Anyway at about a quarter to seven someone came and fired up a computer that put signs by each lane indicating whether it was for transfers or for those with baggage. Lo and behold a little after seven two clerks actually appeared and we were first in line and got our seats right away.
At the departure lounge we were not allowed in for security reasons the sign informed us. Next door a flight to New York with exactly the same type of lounge had people happily waiting inside. Those waiting for the Philippine Air Lines flight however had to sit in the hall with too few seats for all of us.
Finally the PAL plane landed from Las Vegas and some passengers going on to Manila got off the plane into the lounge. I expect this was the security reason! PAL could not counenance the thought of us mingling with the Las Vegas gamblers who might very well not keep their boarding pass to get back on. Easier just to keep us waiting outside with looking through the glass to the water fountain and the washrooms!
We were about half an hour late as the Las Vegas plane was late. No doubt they had trouble rounding up laggard gamblers. More later.....