WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Russia Tuesday that its military operations in Georgia "really do, now, need to stop" and called on all parties to "cease fire."
"I want to make very clear that the United States stands for the territorial integrity of Georgia, for the sovereignty of Georgia, that we support its democratically elected government and its people," said Rice.
"We are reviewing our options for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Georgia," she told reporters at the White House after meeting with US President Georgia W. Bush.
Rice said that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had reported making progress on his European Union peacemaking mission to Moscow in a telephone call with foreign ministers of the Group of Seven rich democracies.
"I believe that they believe that they have made some progress," she said. "We welcome that, and we certainly welcome the EU mediation."
"It is very important now that all parties cease fire. The Georgians have agreed to a cease-fire. The Russians need to stop their military operations, as they have apparently said that they will, but those military operations really do, now, need to stop because calm needs to be restored," said Rice.
Once the shooting stops, there will be international efforts "to facilitate the withdrawal of forces from the zone of conflict" and then resolve the longstanding disputes over Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, she said.
"But the most important thing right now is that these military operations need to stop. We will continue to work diplomatically on this matter, and we'll continue our discussions with all of the parties involved," she said.
Rice did not answer a shouted question about possible US military options.
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