The crisis in the Caucasus region started when the Georgians attempted to take back the breakaway region of South Ossetia by force – raining down rockets on the defenceless town of Tskhinvali and sending in the tanks.

Human Rights Watch have confirmed that most of the damage there (the town is in ruins) was caused by the Georgians.

But all this is forgotten in the new cold war posturing of David Miliband who used such phrases as: "We must be ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Georgians".

The hypocrisy of our politicians is nauseating.

South Ossetia is no different to Kosovo – a place with an ethnically distinct population that did not want its identity to be crushed by the nationalism of a larger state.

Miliband appears to be no more than the shrill little sidekick of the number one neo-conservative Dick Cheney.

How anyone can think he might be the saviour of New Labour is beyond me.

Henry Pearce,
St Aidian's Road,
South Shields.