US military lands aid at Georgian port

Published on Wednesday 27 August 2008 21:52

A US military ship docked at a southern Georgian port yesterday, and Russia sent a missile cruiser and two other ships to another Georgian port in a show of force amid an escalating standoff.

The dockings came a day after Russian president Dmitry Medvedev recognised the two Georgian rebel territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

Georgia reacted by recalling all but two diplomats from its embassy in Moscow.

The US Coast Guard cutter Dallas, carrying 34 tonnes of humanitarian aid, docked in the Black Sea port of Batumi, south of the zone of this month's fighting between Russia and Georgia. The arrival in Batumi avoided Georgia's main cargo port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian troops.

The US embassy in Georgia had earlier said the ship was headed to Poti, but then retracted its statement. Zaza Gogava, head of Georgia's joint forces command, said the port in Poti could have been mined by Russian forces and still contained several Georgian ships sunk in the fighting.

Poti's port reportedly suffered heavy damage from the Russian military. In addition, Russian troops have established checkpoints on the northern approach to the city and a US ship docking there could have been seen as a direct challenge.

Meanwhile, the Russian missile cruiser Moskva and two smaller missile boats anchored at the port in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, some 180 miles north of Batumi. The Russian navy says the ships will be involved in peacekeeping operations.