US warship carrying aid docks in Georgia
Monday, August 25, 2008 at 3:08 am under World News Alerts US warship carrying aid docks in Georgia
A US Navy warship carrying a small consignment of humanitarian aid for Georgia has anchored in Georgia’s southern port of Batumi.The destroyer USS McFaul is reported to be carrying supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits and baby food. Two more US ships are due to dock later this week.
Interestingly, Russian forces are still in control of the military port of Poti, to the North of Batumi, after withdrawing most of its combat troops from Georgia. Hundreds of Russian troops are still jammed at the border checkpoint in the breakaway South Ossetia waiting to cross into Russia. The Black Sea port today (August 24) was also the venue of protest by hundreds of people who are opposing the Russian presence in Poti.
The arrival of the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul on Sunday (August 24) is a strong signal of support for an embattled ally. Director of USAID team, Tim Callaghan, said regarding the safety of his team, they are working closely with US embassy in Georgia. “We are working closely through regular channels to make sure that we are safe as we are doing assessments. And we are relying again on a lot of our partners to provide good information on what the current situation is, as well as the government of Georgia,” Callaghan said.
It’s the first of five US ships scheduled to arrive this week with supplies. The shipment comes after a partial withdrawal of Russian military forces from Georgia following days of fighting earlier this month that damaged cities and towns and displaced tens of thousands of Georgians. Tim Schorn, Captain of USS McFaul Destroyer said this was only “a humanitarian mission.”
“The focus of this mission may not be one of our primary missions, but it certainly is a primary focus of a current mission of providing humanitarian assistance to the folks here in Georgia,” he said. Georgian Defence Minister David Kezerashvili also called it “a very important” event, saying that this was “the first US navy ship in Batumi with humanitarian aid for our people.”
The conflict between Russia and Georgia, a small ex-Soviet republic whose pro-Western government has tried to shed Moscow’s influence and sought NATO membership, has brought Russian-US relations to a post-Cold War low. US Air Force flights have also brought in more than 1 (m) million pounds (0.45 (m) million kilogrammes of humanitarian relief.
(With inputs from ageincies)
( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)
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