US rearming Georgia under guise of aid: Medvedev

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US rejects Russian criticism over aid deliveries
The US State Department on Friday rejected Russian criticism of the United States for sending a sophisticated warship to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia. "We certainly reject the Russian charges," deputy spokesman Robert Wood told reporters when asked about Moscow's reaction to sending the Mount Whitney, flagship of the US Sixth Fleet, to the port of Poti. "It's bringing humanitarian supplies, such as, I believe 4,000 blankets, juice, diapers, hygiene products. There's absolutely no foundation to this Russian charge," Wood said. Moscow charged that the ship might contravene international conventions and was unsuited for its supposed aid mission. "The question arises of whether the USS Mount Whitney's entry into the Black Sea conforms with the provisions of the Montreaux Convention of 1936," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists, referring to an international pact limiting naval deployments there. The Russian spokesman described the Mount Whitney as "the number one ship of its type in the US Navy" and noted its sophisticated reconnaissance technology. Any violation of the Montreaux Convention "should be a cause for concern to the signatory countries," he said. "Naval ships of that class can hardly deliver a large amount of aid. Such ships of course have a hold for keeping provisions for the crew and items needed for sailing. How many dozens of tonnes of aid can a ship of that type deliver?" he asked.

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Sept 6, 2008
The United States is rearming Georgia under the guise of humanitarian assistance, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev charged on Saturday, following the arrival in Georgia of US warships laden with aid.

"The rearming of the Georgian regime is continuing, including under the guise of humanitarian assistance. They've sent a whole fleet to provide humanitarian assistance," Medvedev told officials at a Kremlin meeting.

His charge came a day after the USS Mount Whitney, flagship of the US Sixth Fleet, arrived in the Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti close to military positions taken by Russian troops following last month's conflict with Georgia.

Other US Navy vessels have also docked in Georgia since the start of the conflict, drawing anger from Russian officials who have said their presence in the Black Sea breaches an international shipping agreement.

"I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes," Medvedev said.

The Russian president was speaking in an address to the State Council, a largely symbolic body comprising the country's top federal officials, regional governors, industrial leaders and other influential elites.

"Russia is a state that has to be reckoned with from now on," Medvedev said in Saturday's speech, which also criticised Western countries for failing to support Russia in its confrontation with Georgia.

Russian troops surged into Georgia last month following an attempt by the Georgian army to retake by force the separatist province of South Ossetia, where tens of thousands of residents have Russian passports.

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WAR REPORT

Russia Defense Watch: Black Sea standoff

Washington (UPI) Sep 3, 2008
Adm. Eduard Baltin, a former Russian fleet commander, warned last week that all NATO and U.S. warships currently operating in the Black Sea could be sunk by a single salvo from a Russian missile cruiser within 20 minutes. How much would a new Cold War actually cost Russia? An analysis published in the Moscow newspaper Kommersant last week and reported by RIA Novosti concluded the Kremlin might have to increase its current level of defense spending by 500 percent.

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