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September 16, 2008

NATO Chief Says Road to NATO 'Wide Open' For Georgia
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1E3822D:A6F02AD83191E1600A784F1A160614715C6F54A6CF9DC2CA&
 
During Tbilisi trip, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer calls on Russia to comply
with peace plan, says alliance will continue to expand 
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer speaks during a press
conference in Tbilisi, 15 Sep 2008NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says
the road to joining the alliance is "wide open" for Georgia - despite
Russian opposition. He made the comment Tuesday during his visit to
Tbilisi. He said the alliance will continue to expand. De Hoop Scheffer
arrived in the Georgian capital Monday with the ambassadors of the 26
NATO countries. He called on Russia Monday to comply with a
European-brokered peace plan for Georgia and accused Russia of using
"indiscriminate force" during last month's incursion into Georgia.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Monday the NATO delegation's
visit shows Georgia does not stand alone. Russian President Dmitri
Medvedev last week pledged to pull all Russian forces out of Georgia -
except for the disputed pro-Russian territories of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia - by mid-October. NATO officials and ambassadors are in Tbilisi
for the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Georgia Cooperation Commission.
Russia strongly opposes NATO expansion toward its borders, and urged
NATO to cancel the visit, which was planned before Russian-Georgian
military hostilities erupted August 7. Russia sent thousands of troops
into the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia last month after
Georgia tried to reclaim the region by force.

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


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