    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [August 16, 2008]
    [Pages 1144-1145]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Crawford, Texas
    August 16, 2008

    Situation in Georgia

        Good morning. I just had a briefing by my national security team on
    the latest updates--on the latest developments in Georgia, and there is
    some progress to report.
        First of all, I want to thank Secretary of State Rice for her trip, and thank you for coming back here
    to Crawford to give me a firsthand briefing.
        She went to Tbilisi, met with President
    Saakashvili and his team. And during
    that time, the President signed the six-point peace plan negotiated by
    President Sarkozy on behalf of the European
    Union. President Medvedev of Russia has
    now signed on to the terms of this agreement. And that's an important
    development; it's a hopeful step.
        Now Russia needs to honor the agreement and withdraw its forces and,
    of course, end military operations.
        Secretary Rice will soon travel to
    Brussels, where she will meet with the foreign ministers of our NATO
    allies, EU officials to continue to rally the free world in the defense
    of a free Georgia.
        This morning, also, I was briefed by Secretary Gates on the U.S. military's humanitarian mission to help the
    Georgian people recover from the trauma they have suffered. In recent
    days of--military flights have landed in Georgia to provide relief
    supplies, and more will be arriving in the days ahead.
        A major issue is Russia's contention that the regions of South
    Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia's future. But these
    regions are a part of Georgia, and the international community has
    repeatedly made clear that they will remain so. Georgia is a member of
    the United Nations, and South Ossetia and Abkhazia lie within its
    internationally recognized borders. Georgia's borders should command the
    same respect as every other nation's.
        There's no room for debate on this matter. The United Nations
    Security Council

    [[Page 1145]]

    has adopted numerous resolutions concerning Georgia. These resolutions
    are based on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain within
    the borders of Georgia and that their underlying conflicts will be
    resolved through international negotiations. These resolutions are based
    on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are to be considered a
    part of the Georgian territory, and that to the extent that there's
    conflicts, they will be resolved peacefully.
        These resolutions reaffirm Georgia's sovereignty and independence
    and territorial integrity. Russia itself has endorsed these resolutions.
    The international community is clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are
    part of Georgia, and the United States fully recognizes this reality.
        We will continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy; we will
    continue to insist that Georgia's sovereignty and independence and
    territorial integrity be respected.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:06 a.m. at the Bush Ranch. In his
    remarks, he referred to President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia; and
    President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, in his capacity as President of the
    European Council.