Georgia-Russia Talks Break Down in Geneva
By VOA News
15 October 2008
Authorities in Geneva say talks aimed at resolving tensions between Georgia and Russia have broken down.
The United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe sponsored Wednesday's closed-door meeting. But the Georgian delegation said Russian representatives did not show up for a scheduled plenary session.
The talks were organized in the hope of easing tensions from the five-day Russian-Georgian military conflict in August over the pro-Russian breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Authorities had said Wednesday's meeting would be limited to technical issues, after Georgia opposed Russian demands for the presence of officials from South Ossetia and a second pro-Russian region, Abkhazia.
In a related devlopment, the U.N.'s highest court - the International Court of Justice - Wednesday ordered Russia and Georgia to refrain from discrimination against civilians in and near the breakaway territorites.
Russian troops swept into Georgia August 7, as Georgia tried to retake control of South Ossetia by force.
Russia has withdrawn from most of the undisputed part of Georgia, in line with a French-brokered ceasefire. But Georgia continues to protest Russia's decision to recognize the territories as independent states, as well as Russia's insistence on indefinitely stationing troops there.
Moscow says it will keep more than 7,000 troops in the breakaway Georgian territories. But the U.S. State Department said Tuesday that Russia earlier agreed to limit its presence in the territories to about 3,000 troops, the same contingent as before hostilities erupted.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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