Geneva/Tbilisi/Moscow (ICRC) – The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, will travel to Georgia and the
Russian Federation starting on 17 August to assess the impact in humanitarian terms of the armed conflict involving Georgian, Russian and South Ossetian troops.
Mr Kellenberger will
arrive in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday for talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili.
On Tuesday, the ICRC president is expected to meet senior officials of the Russian Federation,
including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.
He will also travel to Vladikavkaz in the Russian Federation and Tskhinvali in South Ossetia to meet with officials there.
During his discussions, Mr Kellenberger will stress the ICRC's ability to come to the aid of the most vulnerable on all sides, especially those who have been forced to flee their homes due to the
fighting or who remain isolated and in need of help.
President Kellenberger will also underscore the importance of ensuring that all those affected by the conflict – especially
civilians and people captured or arrested in connection with the hostilities – are protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.
For further information,
please contact:
Jessica Barry, Maia Kardava, ICRC Tbilisi, tel.
A Russian military helicopter secures the mountains around the Georgian city of Gori, August 15, 2008. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday demanded Russia withdraw all of its troops ...
