MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Friday against any attempt to rearm Georgia, saying Tbilisi's allies were in danger of drawing the wrong lessons from last month's conflict.

"We certainly don't want incorrect conclusions to be drawn from this conflict," Medvedev said at a news conference in Moscow. "We don't want Georgia, which was the aggressor, to continue rearming, moreover in an uncontrolled way with incomprehensible purposes and completely unclear consequences," he said.

Echoing previous Russian allegations that the United States is rearming its partner Georgia, he said: "This is a lesson for the whole international community, including for those who decide to provide additional finance and arms cooperation for Georgia."

Lower-ranking Russian officials have repeatedly accused the United States of covertly rearming Georgia under cover of aid deliveries, which Washington has made by sea and air.

On Friday the U.S. sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney arrived in Georgia close to where Russian troops are maintaining positions, prompting criticism from Russia's foreign ministry.

The ministry questioned why the United States was using a sophisticated warship, ostensibly to deliver aid, and whether the ship's presence complied with long-standing international rules on naval deployments in the Black Sea.
Source : AFP