The German military attache in Moscow described the Russian military response in Georgia as "appropriate" in an internal document, according to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. "The extent of the use of military force by the Russian side appears -- seen from here and despite reports to the contrary from Georgia and the picture conveyed by the media -- not inappropriately high," Brigadier General Heinz G Wagner wrote on Aug. 11. The German Foreign Ministry said it did not comment on internal documents. According to the FAZ report, the general said some three days after the outbreak of hostilities that Russia had no choice but to react to the Georgian military action in South Ossetia. The Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the breakaway Georgian region "were not in a position, given their weapons and equipment, to defend themselves effectively or even to resist," the general wrote.
"The extent of the use of military force by the Russian side appears -- seen from here and despite reports to the contrary from Georgia and the picture conveyed by the media -- not inappropriately high," Brigadier General Heinz G Wagner wrote on Aug. 11.
The German Foreign Ministry said it did not comment on internal documents.
According to the FAZ report, the general said some three days after the outbreak of hostilities that Russia had no choice but to react to the Georgian military action in South Ossetia.
The Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the breakaway Georgian region "were not in a position, given their weapons and equipment, to defend themselves effectively or even to resist," the general wrote.
Europe's top human rights official has arrived in war-ravaged South Ossetia on a fact-finding mission. Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg from the Council of Europe Human is being accompanied by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Lukin. They say their goal is to gather evidence from all sides and to compile a report on their findings. Thomas Hammarberg said: "I know that human rights were violated during the conflict." "I'm not going to involve myself in politics", he said. "I am only here to look at the human rights situation and come up with recommendations on how these rights can be protected in the future. Our report will be objective and impartial". To watch the interview withThomas Hammarberg, please follow the link. Vladimir Lukin added: "Many people had their rights violated, including the primary right to life, to housing, and so on. And this issue requires much attention so we've come to find out what happened from that perspective." The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said the scale of damage inflicted on Tskhinvali is overwhelming. He spent two days visiting refugee shelters in North Ossetia and the devastated neighbouring South Ossetia and praised the efforts of Russia's Emergencies Ministry in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Thomas Hammarberg said: "I know that human rights were violated during the conflict." "I'm not going to involve myself in politics", he said. "I am only here to look at the human rights situation and come up with recommendations on how these rights can be protected in the future. Our report will be objective and impartial". To watch the interview withThomas Hammarberg, please follow the link. Vladimir Lukin added: "Many people had their rights violated, including the primary right to life, to housing, and so on. And this issue requires much attention so we've come to find out what happened from that perspective." The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said the scale of damage inflicted on Tskhinvali is overwhelming. He spent two days visiting refugee shelters in North Ossetia and the devastated neighbouring South Ossetia and praised the efforts of Russia's Emergencies Ministry in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in the region.
