Russia disappointed with US over Georgia missile

MOSCOW, Aug 20 (Reuters) Russia today said it is disappointed with the United States and other countries for their ''haste'' in taking Georgia's side in a row over a missile dropped on Georgian soil.

Georgia accused a Russian jet of dropping a one-ton missile -- which failed to explode -- in a farmer's field about 65 km from Tbilisi on August 6. Moscow denied involvement and said Tbilisi fabricated the incident.

But the United States, a close Georgian ally, condemned what it called a rocket attack on Georgia and a group of military experts from the United States, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania said last week the missile was dropped by a Russian jet.

''Georgia and some of its Western partners tried, in great haste ... in the space of a few hours, to accuse us of aggression against Georgia,'' First Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Russia's Vesti-24 television station.

''We need to avoid haste in this issue. It is not a joke. It is a serious issue. We are talking about stability in the region,'' said Karasin.

''As for the US position and that of a number of other countries, we are disappointed by the haste with which these countries took the Georgian side.'' Reuters NY GC1740