Home | China | World | Business Russia Against U.S. Sending Army to Georgia: FM THU, FEB 28, 2002     Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Wednesday that Moscow opposes U.S. sending troops to Georgia, and warned that the U.S. military presence in the ex-Soviet republic will worsen the situation there. Sending American military to Georgia will merely complicate the state of affairs in the region, which is already not quite simple, Ivanov told Russia's ORT television in a comment on the reports that Washington will send an anti-terror special force unit to Georgia. The U.S. is well aware of Russia's above-mentioned stand, he stressed, Moscow has repeatedly proposed that Georgia and Russia take joint action to thwart terrorism threats. "This is important to Georgia, to Russia and to stability in the Caucasus region," he added. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday that reports about the possibility of U.S. commandos' participation in a counter-terrorist operation in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge near Chechnya should be treated with caution. He is chairing a meeting of the CIS Defense Ministers' Council in St. Petersburg. The question of U.S. involvement in anti-terrorist measures in Georgia was not on the meeting's agenda, the minister said, adding that there have been no references proving the authenticity of such reports. Deputy Chief of the Russian government staff Alexey Volin said that any counter-terrorist measures in the North Caucasus would be impossible without consultations with Russia. Editor:Liu Hongji Source:Xinhua Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved