\'\'International Tribunal for Saakashvili Needed\'\'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday he supported the idea of an international tribunal for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, but said some countries would make such a tribunal unlikely. "If I were asked, I would say yes," Medvedev said in an interview with Russian and Georgian media when asked about the possibility of Saakashvili facing a tribunal. Russia and Georgia began a five-day war on August 8, 2008. Russia accused Georgia of attacking its breakaway republic of South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control, killing several Russian peacekeepers. "I consider this a glaring violation of international legal norms," Medvedev said. He noted however that the issue was contentious and added: "The creation of such an international tribunal is unrealistic." On July 29, the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted the resolution calling on Russia to respect Georgia''s territorial integrity and to withdraw its troops from the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia recognized the two republics as independent states two weeks after the August 2008 conflict. Georgia considers the two regions part of its sovereign territory.