US GOVERNMENT RADIO SIGNALS RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA
FAUX NEWS YOU CAN USE
(November 2009, Washington D.C., Faux News) - The US-funded
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is launching a separate independent
project for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two pro-Russian Caucasian
republics which earlier announced independence from Georgia,
an important US ally close to the oil-rich regions of Middle East and
Central Asia.
The independent broadcasts of commentary and opinion are to
commence in early November and will be supervised by a Georgian
editorial manager.
For a balance of opinion and to avoid bias, the Georgian supervisor
will work closely with a Russian supervisor.
The Russian supervisor, Andy Babitsky, became famous in the Caucasus
and in Russia in mid 90s for his contribution to the international war on
terror, when he worked closely with Chechen field commanders in the
Russian part of northern Caucasus, helping broadcast their views on
freedom and democracy.
Most of these commanders were announced ‘warlords’ and ‘terrorists’
by Russian authorities and were later murdered or captured by the notorious
Russian KGB secret police.
Meanwhile, the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by US government
radio drew protests from the administration of Michael Sakaschivli in Georgia.
President Sakaschvili is famous for his interest in media and for his
international TV appearances during his military offensive to restore
freedom and democracy in the breakaway South Ossetia.
President Sakaschivli was acting as White House pool correspondent for
international US and British television networks during the attack against
South Ossetia, synchronizing his news broadcasts with the work of Georgian
artillery and the progress of Georgian infantry. The artillery and infantry
has also been funded by the US government, together with the radio.
However, a senior political analyst in Washigton D.C. who spoke on
condition of anonymity strongly denied that the new radio project amounts
to recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the United States.
‘The US government doesn’t speak to governments, it speaks to people’,
the analyst said. ‘It’s written in our list of values that we speak to people,
even if they live in some absurd region with a funny name, Abkazia or
Timbuktu.’
‘Our principles didn’t change’, he said. ‘As we all know from international
media reports, South Ossetia is a small Caucasian tribe of Russia-lovers,
too small and Russia-loving to have respected legitimate institutions for us
to speak to or recognize.’