Moscow Presses for Georgia Arms Embargo at UN
Russia has tabled at the UN Security Council a draft resolution calling for a ban on arms deliveries to Georgia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said at a news conference on September 10, that the United States and other NATO-member countries’ intention to help Georgia in rebuilding army showed that those countries “have failed to learn lessens” from recent developments.
The text calls for countries to implement measures that would ban the sale of “arms or military equipment” to Georgia, as well as any military “assistance, consultations or training,” Reuters reported.
Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s UN ambassador, said on September 9 that Moscow was sure that the United States would resist the resolution. He, however, said proposing the draft was important in itself as “a political statement” by Russia.
Reuters reported, quoting Carolyn Vadino, a spokeswoman for the U.S. mission to the UN, as saying that the draft resolution was “just an attempt by Russia to divert attention from its real obligation” – undertaken under the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported on September 10, quoting an unnamed Israeli defense official as saying that the Israeli government had issued a directive calling on Israeli businessmen involved in military sales to Tbilisi to immediately cease visits to Georgia.
