Berlin - Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has
warned in an interview with a German magazine against appeasing
Russia, but also said he would not support sanctions against Moscow.
The news weekly Der Spiegel released the text Saturday. It quoted
Schwarzenberg saying Prague supported a rapid admission of Georgia to
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), saying delay over this
had only encouraged Russia to establish facts on the ground.
'(President Mikheil) Saakashvili (of Georgia) has acted stupidly,
to put it mildly, but we must also take into account how massive the
Russian provocations were,' he said.
'Moscow supported the aims of separatists. Russian troops were
placed in position at the start of summer. Russian jets deliberately
flew over Georgian territory. Parts of Georgian territory are still
occupied,' he said.
Schwarzenberg added, 'We Czechs have been made to learn by our
history that fearfulness does not pay. Appeasement is no
alternative.' He called for 'frank and bold' talks with Russia.
'We have to make unambiguously clear there will be no return to
business as usual with the European Union before Russia withdraws its
troops from Georgia.' But he said he was no supporter of sanctions.
'They rarely affect those they are supposed to affect,' he said.
'We have to demonstrate to (Russian President Dimitry) Medvedev and
(Russian Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin how much damage they are
doing to their own country.'
USA
Your Talkback on this Story