[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 33 (Monday, August 25, 2008)]
[Pages 1138-1139]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 and 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 humani-

tarian mission to help the Georgian people recover from the trauma they 
have suffered. In recent days, 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 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.

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