House leaders jointly condemn ‘Russian invasion’

In a rare joint statement, House leaders of both parties on Tuesday condemned Russia’s decision to send troops into Georgia.

{mosads}“The bipartisan leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives stands united in condemning — in the strongest possible terms — the recent Russian invasion of the sovereign state of Georgia,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). “The United States is committed to Georgia’s absolute sovereignty, and we reject the Russian Foreign Minister’s reported assertion that democratically elected President Mikheil Saakashvili ‘must go.' ”

The harsh words toward Russia for its role in a dispute over separatist territories in neighboring Georgia echo those of President Bush and both parties’ presidential candidates.

“Russian military action in Georgia should be recognized for what it is — an effort to intimidate Georgia’s freely-elected government and the governments of other democratic states on Russia’s borders as well,” Pelosi said. “It must be made clear to Russian leaders that this kind of conduct is unacceptable.”

The four House members stated that Russian leaders “have a responsibility to follow through” on President Dmitri Medvedev’s order Tuesday to withdraw troops from Georgia.

“In the meantime, the international community must remain vigilant in ensuring that the nation’s territorial integrity is restored,” the House leaders said. “This deplorable outbreak of violence should serve as an opportunity for the world community to re-engage in negotiations to end the conflict and restore stability in this region. We also need to strengthen our efforts to ensure that the needs of Georgia and the Georgian people are met.”

Boehner added that the aggression by Russia “marks an important moment” for other countries.

“For the sake of democracy in the region and free nations across the world, the international community must speak with one voice in condemning the actions of Moscow and calling for the removal of Russian troops from Georgia,” Boehner said.