Chavez blames US for war in Georgia

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has blamed the United States of America for orchestrating the war between Georgia and Russia.

Hugo Chavez made the remark in a statement issued on Thursday saying the conflict was "planned, prepared and ordered" by Washington in “an incitement of violence”, AP reported on Friday.

The hostilities began after the Georgian military launched an offensive to retake the breakaway province of South Osettia on Thursday night. Tbilisi's controversial measure faced a strong response from Moscow.

The conflict claimed the lives of at least 2000 South Ossetians and about 150 Georgians.

The statement went on to say that Russia acted to protect local residents from “unacceptable acts of violence'' perpetrated by Georgian troops.

During an April summit in Bucharest Washington pushed hard on behalf of Tbilisi's NATO aspirations but faced opposition from France, Germany, among others.

Experts have described Russia's ability to quickly move US and NATO-trained Georgian army out of South Ossitia as a big achievement for the country which has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the expansion of the alliance in its backyard.

Also on Thursday, Bill Christison, a former senior CIA official, told Press TV in an interview that there were quite a few people in the US that supported this kind of conflict in this region.

Christison, in a response to a question on whether or not Washington gave the go ahead for Tbilisi to launch its attack, said Georgia may have received the green light from the US to attack South Ossetia.

MSM/JG/DT