Georgia Signs Peace Treaty -- It Is An Acknowledgement Of Defeat

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) delivers a statement with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (R) in Tbilisi. Earlier Friday, Georgia's pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili announced he had signed the EU-brokered ceasefire during a visit to Tbilisi by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. (AFP/Vano Shlamov)

Georgia Forced To Accept A Russian Occupation -- Times Online

President Saakashvili was forced to accept defeat yesterday as he signed a peace agreement that gives the Russian Army the right to patrol on Georgian soil.

In a critical amendment to the ceasefire drawn up by President Sarkozy of France, the Kremlin forced Mr Saakashvili to accept that Russian troops could control a buffer zone of Georgian territory up to 10km beyond the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Mr Saakashvili was humiliated further when the final text of the agreement, delivered personally by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, removed a reference to Russian recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity. It referred only to independence and sovereignty, a day after Ser-gei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the world could forget about Georgia’s territorial integrity.

After signing the peace agreement, an emotional Mr Saakashvili said defiantly: “A significant part of Georgian territory remains under foreign military occupation. Never, ever will Georgia reconcile itself with the occupation of even one square kilometre of its territory.”

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More News On Georgia Signs the Peace Treaty

Georgia leader signs truce, but will Russia leave? -- Yahoo/AP
Rice Presses for Pullout as Georgia Signs Cease-Fire -- New York Times
Condoleezza Rice forces deal on Georgia to end the war -- The Telegraph

My Comment: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spent five hours with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. I suspect that the "discussions" were very intense.

This is a significant defeat for Georgia, and for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. The terms of the agreement will guarantee Russian soldiers have the right to enter Georgia within a certain "buffer zone". It also implies that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are now defacto independent states.

The seeds for a future conflict resides within this treaty. Georgian bitterness will increase with time. I am not optimistic for peace.