U.S. President George W. Bush Friday urged Russia to honor a ceasefire commitment with Georgia, saying that Moscow must respect Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
U.S. President George W. Bush speaks about the Georgia/Russia conflict outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington before departing for his August vacation at his Central Texas ranch, Aug. 15, 2008."Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory," Bush said in a statement at the White House.
"Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," he said.
Bush also said that "a contentious relationship with Russia is not in America's interest. And a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia's interests."
On Wednesday, Bush sent U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to France to help the diplomatic efforts, and then to Georgia to show U.S. solidarity with the country.
Rice is expected to brief him on the situation of Georgia Saturday, Bush said.
Georgia began a military action against South Ossetia's forces last week in an attempt to re-establish control over the breakaway region. In response, Russian troops moved into the region to fight Georgian forces.
On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced an end to military operations in South Ossetia after meeting his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.
Source: Xinhua
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