Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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July 8, 2008

Rice Attacks Russia Over Georgia Tension 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1D09258:A6F02AD83191E160DD3091F49D3DD7632A201403E89ED254&
 
US Secretary of State says Russia's behavior towards Georgia is adding
to tensions in region 
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (file photo)U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice has criticized Russia's behavior towards Georgia
saying it is adding to tensions in the areaAs she arrived in Prague
Tuesday Rice noted that the former Soviet republic of Georgia is now an
independent state, and called on both Russia and Georgia to avoid
"provocative" actions. U.S. officials have been dismayed by a series of
steps Russian steps towards Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia. Meanwhile, South Ossetian authorities detained four
Georgian servicemen near the administrative border of the breakaway
area. Georgian officials said the four were kidnapped, while the South
Ossetians accused them of scouting targets for artillery attacks.The two
regions declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, sparking
fighting and the dispatch of Russian peacekeepers to the region. Georgia
has vowed to bring the territories back under central government con!
 trol.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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