World views: Commission finds Tbilisi bears prime responsibility for the war in Georgia
La Repubblica - Italy
The left-liberal daily La Repubblica calls the EU report on the war in Georgia a Solomonic judgement:"The report accuses both sides of severely violating international law and human rights. But paradoxically the effect of this Solomonic harshness has been that both the Kremlin and the government in Tbilisi have welcomed the report. Both emphasise the accusations against their adversary, while playing down those against their own military. ... But even if the EU report puts responsibility for the conflict firmly in both camps, there is no doubt that ultimately it does more to incriminate Georgia - and above all President Mikheil Saakashvili, who stands out as the cold-blooded initiator of the war. This incrimination will without doubt bring Saakashvili domestic difficulties, and stands a good chance of harming the good relations between Georgia and the European Union, above all regarding Georgia's ambitions for a speedy entry into the Nato Alliance."
Der Tagesspiegel - Germany
After a report by an international fact-finding mission has attributed responsibility for the war in Georgia to both Tbilisi and Moscow, the liberal daily Der Tagesspiegel looks into Europe's role in the conflict:"The war in Georgia was anything but unavoidable. [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili allowed himself to be led into the conflict by Russian provocations, and he failed - or refused - to hear the warnings from the West. ... But on the other side Russian Prime Minister [Vladimir] Putin and his President [Dmitry] Medvedev also had an interest in escalating the conflict. ... All the more reason for Europeans to ask why they didn't act earlier. Let's not forget: France was able to negotiate a truce between the belligerent parties after five days. Perhaps a similarly courageous intervention in the run-up would even have prevented the war."
Der Standard - Austria
The report of the EU's expert commission on the causes of the war in Georgia strengthens Russia's position, the daily Der Standard writes:"More than a year after the war Russia has created a situation that neither the demands of the EU governments nor the resolutions of the Council of Europe have been able to change. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two secessionist Georgian provinces, have been definitively turned into Russian military bases - and are now de facto part of the Russian federation. Russia's obsession with exercising military control even beyond the Great Caucasus has been fulfilled. The Tagliavini Commission's decision, which divides responsibility for the outbreak of the war but gives Georgia most of the blame, is good for Vladimir Putin, the Russian war prime minister. With its artillery fire against Tskhinvali [South Ossetia's capital] Georgia has forfeited its right to represent the people of South Ossetia."
The Independent - United Kingdom
After the publication of the report on the war in Georgia, the liberal daily The Independent hopes that Russia's profile in the world will become friendlier:"That Russia and Georgia can both find justification in this report has its pluses and minuses. The pluses are that each government has something to offer its public and no excuse for not accepting the conclusions. The minuses are that both can avoid admitting responsibility, while finding ample grounds for mutual recrimination. ... September was a good month for Russian relations with the outside world. First, [US] President [Barack] Obama announced that he was abandoning plans to station missile defence installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. Now, the EU report has absolved it of starting the Georgia war. With these two big obstacles out of the way, maybe Russia - rather than crowing - could start showing a friendlier face to the world."
Read entire article at Euro Topics
The left-liberal daily La Repubblica calls the EU report on the war in Georgia a Solomonic judgement:"The report accuses both sides of severely violating international law and human rights. But paradoxically the effect of this Solomonic harshness has been that both the Kremlin and the government in Tbilisi have welcomed the report. Both emphasise the accusations against their adversary, while playing down those against their own military. ... But even if the EU report puts responsibility for the conflict firmly in both camps, there is no doubt that ultimately it does more to incriminate Georgia - and above all President Mikheil Saakashvili, who stands out as the cold-blooded initiator of the war. This incrimination will without doubt bring Saakashvili domestic difficulties, and stands a good chance of harming the good relations between Georgia and the European Union, above all regarding Georgia's ambitions for a speedy entry into the Nato Alliance."
Der Tagesspiegel - Germany
After a report by an international fact-finding mission has attributed responsibility for the war in Georgia to both Tbilisi and Moscow, the liberal daily Der Tagesspiegel looks into Europe's role in the conflict:"The war in Georgia was anything but unavoidable. [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili allowed himself to be led into the conflict by Russian provocations, and he failed - or refused - to hear the warnings from the West. ... But on the other side Russian Prime Minister [Vladimir] Putin and his President [Dmitry] Medvedev also had an interest in escalating the conflict. ... All the more reason for Europeans to ask why they didn't act earlier. Let's not forget: France was able to negotiate a truce between the belligerent parties after five days. Perhaps a similarly courageous intervention in the run-up would even have prevented the war."
Der Standard - Austria
The report of the EU's expert commission on the causes of the war in Georgia strengthens Russia's position, the daily Der Standard writes:"More than a year after the war Russia has created a situation that neither the demands of the EU governments nor the resolutions of the Council of Europe have been able to change. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two secessionist Georgian provinces, have been definitively turned into Russian military bases - and are now de facto part of the Russian federation. Russia's obsession with exercising military control even beyond the Great Caucasus has been fulfilled. The Tagliavini Commission's decision, which divides responsibility for the outbreak of the war but gives Georgia most of the blame, is good for Vladimir Putin, the Russian war prime minister. With its artillery fire against Tskhinvali [South Ossetia's capital] Georgia has forfeited its right to represent the people of South Ossetia."
The Independent - United Kingdom
After the publication of the report on the war in Georgia, the liberal daily The Independent hopes that Russia's profile in the world will become friendlier:"That Russia and Georgia can both find justification in this report has its pluses and minuses. The pluses are that each government has something to offer its public and no excuse for not accepting the conclusions. The minuses are that both can avoid admitting responsibility, while finding ample grounds for mutual recrimination. ... September was a good month for Russian relations with the outside world. First, [US] President [Barack] Obama announced that he was abandoning plans to station missile defence installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. Now, the EU report has absolved it of starting the Georgia war. With these two big obstacles out of the way, maybe Russia - rather than crowing - could start showing a friendlier face to the world."