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U.S. Thumbs Nose At Moscow

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The Associated Press

Published: September 6, 2008

POTI, Georgia - The flagship of the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean fleet anchored Friday outside this key Georgian port, defiantly delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged U.S. ally in a slap at Moscow.

The USS Mount Whitney, a command and control ship, was the first Navy ship to travel to Poti since Georgia's five-day war with Russia last month.

The presence of hundreds of Russian soldiers in the city has been a point of friction between Russia and the West, which insists Moscow hasn't honored a cease-fire deal to pull back to positions held before Aug. 7.

Out on the water, the Mount Whitney rode at anchor in choppy seas and a brisk wind as Navy officers escorted visitors around.

Two U.S. ships had already come and gone from Georgia carrying aid, but they anchored at Batumi, a smaller port to the south with no Russian military presence.

Nicaragua Recognizes Breakaway Provinces

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaragua on Friday became the first country other than Russia to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, giving Moscow a victory against Georgia over the two breakaway provinces.

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