Georgia: Dueling Presidents

Kind of like "Dueling Banjos", only it's both Medvedev and Saakashvili, both writing an OP/ED for the Financial Times.

I think that they are both very sparing with the truth, but one sounds like a mealy mouthed politician, and the other sounds like a complete tie chewing nutjob.

Medvedev's bullet points:

• The Ossetians and the Abkhazians wanted independence.
• Upon independence, Georgia stripped Abkhazia and South Ossetia of Autonomy, and engaged in brutal military operations against ethnic minorities.
• That the West encouraged Saakasvili to make broad claims against the region.
• That the recognition of an independent Kosovo encouraged secessionist movements in Georgia.
• Following the recent conflict, he felt compelled to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence.

Saakashvili's bullet points:

• Russia intends to redraw the map of all of Europe.
• Russia was issuing passports to Abkhazians and South Ossetians to get a claim on these regions.
• That the Russians were actively ethnically cleansing Georgians using, "using arson, rape and execution."
• That the Russians were already invading when the Georgians attacked South Ossetia.
• That the Russians have designs on Ukraine, Muldova.
• That Moscow is determined to wipe out democratically elected governments in its "near abroad".

These are both self serving statements from men, they are both less than completely frank.

One of them, however, sounds nuts.