Georgia’s embattled president yesterday launched into a bizarre tirade, accusing the Russians of hating “everything nice,” and lamented the destruction of the country’s Dolby Digital movie theater.
“You know everything that is nice and new makes them sick. You are dealing with a people who despise everything human, everything nice, everything modern, everything European, everything civilized,” Mikheil Saakashvili – showing increasing signs of stress – ranted during a news conference in the capital, Tbilisi.
The red-faced Saakashvili said the Russians had destroyed the country’s Dolby Digital-equipped theater, its concert hall and its Olympic-size swimming pool.
“We’ve been building these concert halls, we’ve been bringing the famous rock groups from the West to tell them this is all about you. Let’s open up the roadblocks. Come over. Dance with your compatriots. Enjoy life. Why do you have to sit in the trenches? Put down the Kalashnikov . . . They decided to kill our music sounds with their tanks and artillery,” he said.
“We are looking evil in the eye.”
Under a cease-fire agreement signed by Saakashvili yesterday, Russia retains the right to send patrols 6 miles beyond the two pro-Moscow breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Georgia proper. Russian armored vehicles remained in control of the strategic central city of Gori and had advanced within 30 miles of Tbilisi.
“Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century,” President Bush said from the White House. “Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory.”
The accord was reached after an emergency visit to Tbilisi by Secretary State of Condoleezza Rice in an attempt to end the week-old conflict.
Russia, however, was adamant that the two separatist regions would not rejoin Georgia.
“Russia, as guarantor of security in the Caucasus and the region, will make the decision which unambiguously supports the will of these two Caucasus peoples,” President Dmitry Medvedev said. “Unfortunately after what happened, it is unlikely Ossetians and Abkhaz can live in one state with Georgians.”
With AP and Post Wires
cbennett@nypost.com