Interview: David Miliband

Last Modified: 14 Aug 2008
By: Jonathan Rugman

Foreign Secretary David Miliband speaks to Jonathan Rugman about the Russia-Georgia conflict in South Ossetia.

Our diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Rugman sat down with the Foreign Secretary and asked him how he responded to the news that Russian tanks were still in Gori.

Here are some of the things David Miliband says about the situation in the Caucasus -

"Russia's aggressive tactics have appalled many people around the world."

"(Russia should) engage international authority to broker a sustainable settlement."

"We don't need to expel the Russians from the G8."

"An injustice anywhere is something that should concern us."

"The politics of this are much more open. Russia needs the international community in the same way that the international community needs a responsible and respected Russia."

"I don't see how anyone could believe that Russia is exercising a veto over Nato, since the Nato meeting in May committed to membership for Georgia and the Ukraine."

"What there does need to be is proper engagement with the governments of the Ukraine and Georgia to take that forward.

"In the medium term there are a range of diplomatic and political measures which are going to have to be entered into by the international community... as we consider how we respond to this."

"There are big issues at stake for Russia as well as the international community."