Russia faced diplomatic isolation over its military action against Georgia yesterday, with its Asian allies failing to offer support and France saying EU leaders were considering imposing sanctions.
Moscow accused the West of heightening tensions with a naval build-up in the Black Sea and said talk of punishing Russia for recognizing the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions was the product of a “sick” and “confused” imagination.
The G7 rich nations condemned Moscow’s “continued occupation of Georgia” and a group of Asian allies led by China, meeting in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, failed to follow Russia’s lead on independence for two breakaway regions of Georgia.
On Tuesday, Moscow announced that it was recognizing South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states.
EU SANCTIONS
France, the current EU president, has called a meeting of EU heads of government on Monday to discuss the Georgian crisis.
“Sanctions are being considered and many other means as well,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in response to a question at a news conference.
“We are trying to elaborate a strong text that will show our determination not to accept [what is happening in Georgia],” he said. “Of course, there are also sanctions.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed such talk, saying that Kouchner had also suggested recently that Russia might soon attack Moldova, Ukraine and the Crimea.
“But that is a sick imagination, and probably that applies to sanctions as well. I think it is a demonstration of complete confusion,” Lavrov said in Dushanbe.
NAVAL BUILD-UP
As the diplomatic manoeuvring gathered pace, Moscow also expressed alarm at a naval build-up in the Black Sea, an area normally dominated by its southern fleet.
Two US warships are already off the coast of Georgia to show support for their ally and Washington has ordered the flagship of its Sixth Fleet, the sophisticated joint command ship Mount Whitney, to the area, saying it will deliver humanitarian supplies.
NATO said yesterday there was no build-up of ships in the Black Sea.
Russia’s navy has responded by sending the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, the guided missile cruiser Moskva, to the Abkhaz port of Sukhumi, less than 200km to the north of where the two US warships are sailing.
PRISONER RELEASES
Meanwhile, Russia turned over 12 Georgian soldiers yesterday.
The release along the Inguri River separating Abkhazia from Georgia proper was a small conciliatory gesture.
The soldiers, who were detained on Aug. 18 in the seaport of Poti, appeared unharmed and some were smiling.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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