HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM --------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/22/us/politics/AP-US-US-Georgia-Russia.html
Associated Press December 22, 2009 Lawmaker Urges NATO to Consider Arms for Georgia WASHINGTON: A senior Republican senator is urging the Obama administration and European allies to consider rearming Georgia, an action that would inevitably upset Russia. The recommendation comes from Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a lawmaker who has long cultivated cooperation with Russia. Lugar has been a key ally for President Barack Obama on his pursuit of an arms control deal with Russia that has been the centerpiece of the administration's efforts to improve relations with the Kremlin. He also is leading efforts to win essential Republican votes to ratify the treaty once it has been completed. .... A report by Lugar's staff, to be released Tuesday, warns that Georgia's military vulnerability could lead to further instability in the Caucasus amid continuing tensions between Georgia and Russia. It urges the administration to coordinate a strategy within NATO that strikes a balance between Georgia's security needs and NATO's relationship with Russia. ''The Alliance must come to grips with the reality that Georgia will require coordinated security support from America and European nations for some years to come,'' Lugar writes in a letter accompanying the report. Lugar's report noted that the destruction of Georgian radar capability and air defenses have left the country vulnerable to further attack and also unable to verify air incursions over its territory. Following the war, the United States allocated $1 billion in aid to Georgia for rebuilding.... ''A continuation of the status quo appears to ensure that Georgia will not only have difficulty providing for its own territorial defense needs but remain susceptible to the internal strife and external manipulation that often accompanies such national insecurity,'' the report says. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rwroz...@yahoo.com or stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Daily digest option available. ============================== --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: arch...@mail-archive.com EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bNM5nn.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: antinato-unsubscr...@topica.com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------
