“We are not against international peacekeepers,” Medvedev told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “The problem is the Ossetians and the Abkhazians believe only Russian peacekeepers, and nobody else. The past fifteen years have shown more than once that the sole forces capable of protecting the interests, and quite often lives are Russian troops. This should be borne in mind.”

“We have begun to discuss the presence of international peace

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keepers in this or that format,” Medvedev said. “This process will be continued. But in a situation like this the position of the affected party, the one that has proved the target of violence and aggression is the determining factor.”

“The one who is expected to ensure peace and calm must at least be comfortable for the suffering side, for those who experience oppression or genocide,” the Russian president said. “For this reason we shall be discussing these questions. We are already discussing the presence of international observers in this or that format, including the adoption of ‘additional security measures’ stemming from item five of the six-point plan agreed with the French president. This process will be continued, but I would like to draw your attention once again to the idea that the position of the suffering party, the party that has experienced violence and aggression should be the determining factor.”

Medvedev vowed that Russia would keep complying with its peacekeeping mandate the way it had been doing so far.

“Should somebody encroach against our citizens, our peacekeepers, we shall certainly respond in the same fashion we have done already. One should have no doubts about that,” he warned.

For her part Merkel agreed that “we are unable to dispatch peacekeeping forces the parties to the conflict reject.”

Germany’s federal chancellor also believes that this is not the right time to look for the culprits in the conflict.

“In such complicated conflicts it seldom happens only one party is to blame. I am referring to all,” Merkel said. “We should look into the future.”

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited the media to give thought to and to give three honest answers to three major questions concerning the coverage of events in South Ossetia.

“Question one – who was the first to start combat operations in South Ossetia? Russian peacekeepers, Russian troops, or the Georgian army? Let us take a look at what was shown on television. It remains unclear. But you and men known the answer to the question,” Medvedev told a media audience after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Question two – would the international community really want the Ossetians in South Ossetia, and then the Abkhazians in Abkhazia to cease to exist as a result of these actions? Yes or no?” he went on to say.

“Now there is question three – has there been a humanitarian disaster as a result? And who is to now repair its effects – is this the sole competence of the Ossetians themselves and the Russian Federation?” Medvedev said. “If we find the answers to these questions, many things will get far clearer.”

The Russian president explained he could not but ask himself those questions “after the tragedy riveted us all to the television screens, the Internet and other media.”

“As an ordinary person I was receiving some information from those sources, too, alongside the channels available to the president. The media picture that was formed prompted me to ask just three questions. I would like you all to stop to think about answering them,” he said.

Medvedev handed over to Merkel some photographs and a compact disc with documentary evidence of the humanitarian problems, the scale of destruction, murders and casualties.

BOCHAROV RUCHEI, August 15 (Itar-Tass)