International Organisations
| Organisation | Response |
|---|---|
| Amnesty International | In November 2008, Amnesty International released a 69 page report citing both Georgia and Russia for serious international law violations on the conduct of war. |
| Caritas Internationalis | Caritas denounced the violence and claimed to be providing food, household items and counselling people caught in the fighting. Caritas supported calls for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations to bring a peaceful solution to the conflict. Secretary General Lesley-Anne Knight said, "Russia and Georgia must step back from all-out war. Already the conflict has caused too much suffering to thousands of innocent civilians. It will take a huge regional effort to rebuild shattered communities." Caritas appeals to both sides to do everything in their power to respect the lives of civilians. Caritas supports the need for humanitarian corridors into South Ossetia as a short term solution, but peace talks must take place now. "Both sides must respect the rights of ethnic minorities to avoid a further escalation in the conflict."
Caritas Georgia claimed to be providing medical help to casualties. Programme Manager Liana Mkheidze said, "Many people are coming to Tbilisi from Georgian villages around Tskhinvali and the also from Gori. Their houses have been damaged and they’re escaping the bombardment. "Caritas Georgia distributed 1920 small cans of tuna-fish and 420 cans of canned meat together with 500 loaves of freshly baked bread from its own bakery. We are preparing to distribute more bread and preparing food at our soup-kitchen if necessary to provide food to those made homeless. Local Caritas Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia says shelter for refugees is the priority. Director of Caritas Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia–Alania) Sergey Basiev said, "There are lots of refugees seeking shelter. They have nothing. The situation is dreadful. We will try to meet these urgent needs." |
| Collective Security Treaty Organisation | On 3 September, The CSTO member countries supported Russia's actions in a collective statement. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, "It denounces the military actions taken by Georgia against South Ossetia and stresses the necessity to avoid such situations in the future. The statement highlights the key points, has all the necessary verifications, including condemnation of Georgia's military actions against South Ossetia. It stresses the need to do the best in order not to admit similar attempts at using force for solving conflicts and evaluates events in the conflict zone. It condemns the policy of double standards and admits the dangers in the conflict zone." The member states backed a Russian proposal to impose an arms embargo on Georgia.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan said, "We have come out with support for Russia's active role in contributing to peace and cooperation in the region." But the CSTO (ODKB) did not follow Russia's lead at this meeting and did not recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha stated that the present situation is "driving Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the collective security system", and further stated, "South Ossetia and Abkhazia can not successfully and steadily develop without a collective security system, without the backing of other states." |
| European Union | On 9 August, Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, who held the rotating presidency of the European Union, announced with American President George W. Bush that the EU and the USA would send a joint delegation to try to negotiate a cease fire.
On 12 August, Sarkozy reportedly convinced Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin not to follow through with his plans to overthrow the Georgian government and "hang Saakashvili by the balls". Germany supported Russia and the UK supported Georgia. |
| Human Rights Watch | HRW said, "All sides must remember that attacks on civilians, or acts intended to terrorise civilians, clearly violate international humanitarian law, and may constitute war crimes," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "This would be true even if they are carried out in reprisal for indiscriminate attacks by the adversary." |
| NATO | NATO's official website posted the following statement from the NATO Secretary General: "The NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, is seriously concerned about the events that are taking place in the Georgian region of South Ossetia and said that the Alliance is closely following the situation. The Secretary General calls on all sides for an immediate end of the armed clashes and direct talks between the parties". On 11 August Russia called for an emergency meeting of the Russia-NATO Council to appeal for NATO’s assistance in ending the crisis, but the initiative was blocked by the United States. |
| Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe | The Finnish foreign minister Alexander Stubb, acting as the chairman of the organisation, travelled with the EU delegation to negotiate a cease-fire. Stubb stated that OSCE was the only organisation with infrastructure in the area that could immediately deploy military observers and humanitarian assistance to manage the conflict. All 56 members supported the plan to send 100 military observers to monitor the ceasefire. |
| International Committee of the Red Cross | On 8 August, ICRC urged the combatants to establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the wounded and civilians from Tskhinvali. On 11 August they released a statement saying they were sending 15 tons of medicine and medical supplies to the conflict zone. They stated "the ICRC has officially reminded Georgia and Russia of their obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and distinguish at all times between the civilian population and those taking a direct part in the hostilities. The four Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocol I and the customary rules and principles of international humanitarian law are all applicable in this situation." |
| Shanghai Cooperation Organisation | The Hindu reported that Russia had support from the People's Republic of China and other member states in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. A joint declaration was issued at the 28 August 2008 SCO Dushanbe summit and signed by the leaders of all six full members, most notably Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The communique denounced the use of force and called upon the parties to resolve the conflict through dialogue. The heads agreed to the six-point plan which was established in Moscow (12 August) and expressed support for Russia. The SCO called for respect for every country's territorial integrity, stating, "The participants underscore the need for respect of the historical and cultural traditions of each country and each people, for efforts aimed at the preservation, under international law, of the unity of a state and its territorial integrity". On 29 August 2008 the SCO Group "refused to back Moscow in its conflict with Georgia, and to support Moscow’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia". |
| United Nations | On 7 August, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced grave concern over the escalation of violence and urged all parties to "refrain from any actions that might jeopardise the situation further and pose threat to stability in the region". On 8 August at GMT 4 a.m. an emergency session of the UN Security Council discussed the situation at Russia's request. The session failed to reach an agreement. Between 06:00 GMT on 8 August and 23:00 GMT on 9 August, Russia tabled three resolutions calling upon all sides to renounce the use of force. Each time its efforts were opposed by the United Kingdom and the United States, who sided with Georgia’s UN Ambassador Irakli Alasania.
Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, the president of the UN General Assembly, accused Georgia of committing an act of aggression against South Ossetia and violating the UN Charter. |
Read more about this topic: International Reaction To The 2008 South Ossetia War