British Peers on August War

The precise circumstances surrounding the August war are not yet clear but responsibility is “shared, in differing measures, by all the parties,” according to the British parliamentary committee report released on February 12.

Report by the House of Lords EU committee, which examines the aftermath of the August war in the context of EU-Russia relations, says that there is evidence of a Russian military build-up prior to the war and it used “disproportionate” force “in response to provocative statements and military action by President Saakashvili.”

“President Saakashvili seems to have drawn unfounded confidence in confronting Russia as a result of mixed signals from the US Administration,” the report reads.

The report has been drawn up mainly based on testimonials provided by the British diplomats – among them Sir Mark Lyall Grant, director general of political affairs at the British Foreign Office. Mark Lyall Grant is visiting Georgia on February 12-13 holding talks with senior government officials.

He told the British parliamentary committee while the latter was drawing up the report: “Clearly, there was some recklessness on the part of President Saakashvili in Georgia but, on the other hand, we think that the Russian response was both disproportionate and unnecessary in the sense that it was harsher than was required in order to stop what they saw as an attack on the South Ossetians and on indeed the Russian peace keeper.”

Another witness, Sir Roderic Lyne, former British ambassador to Moscow, told the committee that President Saakashvili “very imprudently pursued a policy of needling and provoking the Russians.”

“I think he has been encouraged to do so by Neocon elements in Washington,” he continued, suggesting that the Bush administration must also “bear a heavy responsibility,” as it had “clearly delivered very mixed messages” to President Saakashvili.

The British parliamentary committee report hails the EU French presidency’s “rapid and reasonably successful” effort to reach ceasefire. It also notes that Russia has not complied fully with its commitments under the ceasefire accord. “Full Russian compliance with the ceasefire plan should continue to be used as a measure of Russia’s behaviour, even though such compliance is unlikely in the near future,” it says.

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