Abkhazia says may join Geneva talks after revised UN report
11:5619/05/2009 MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Abkhazia may participate in the Geneva talks on the situation in the Caucasus region after receiving an amended UN Secretary General's draft report, the Abkhaz foreign minister said on Tuesday.
The UN General Secretary submitted the draft report three days later than anticipated and unlike previous drafts, makes no mention of Georgia's sovereignty over its former republic of Abkhazia.
"I think it is a compromise solution and we can now agree on our participation in the Geneva talks. We are going to make a final decision soon," Sergei Shamba told RIA Novosti by phone.
Abkhazia cited a previous draft, entitled "On the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia," as a reason for pulling out of talks in Geneva, aimed at trying to reduce tension in the region following a brief conflict between Russia and Georgia.
The Geneva talks, which started on Monday with delegations from South Ossetia and Russia walking out in support of Abkhazia, are backed by the UN, the EU and the OSCE and involve Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Shamba earlier said Abkhazia would not cooperate with the EU or even with the UN if they "are biased against the republic."
U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly expressed the country's regret at the walkout by Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, describing it as a "coordinated effort to undermine the Geneva talks."
"We hope the Russian delegation and South Ossetian and Abkhaz participants will attend the talks when they reconvene on May 19," he said.
Following the August 2008 conflict, Russia recognized both Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
Russia and the two republics signed border protection agreements in late April and Russian border guards have been deployed along the Abkhazia and South Ossetian borders since May 2.
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