Georgia Finally Blamed for the 2008 War

MOSCOW, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The findings of a long-awaited EU report on last year's Georgia-Russia war are likely to hurt Tbilisi more than Moscow.

Both sides were quick to claim the report justified their own interpretations of the five-day war. Moscow focused on the finding that Georgia began hostilities while Tbilisi preferred the finding that months of provocation preceded the war.

But the phrase most likely to resonate is the comment by Heidi Tagliavini, head of the fact-finding mission, that "it was Georgia which triggered off the war when it attacked Tskhinvali with heavy artillery on the night of 7 to 8 August 2008".

Generally compliant domestic television channels will ensure that viewers in both Georgia and Russia see only their respective governments' spin on the report.

But the international implications of the findings will be harder to control -- and these tend to favour Russia.

The mission firmly rejected the main justification for the attack offered by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, saying flatly that "there was no massive Russian military invasion under way, which had to be stopped by Georgian military forces shelling Tskhinvali".
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