Post by Bozur on Dec 19, 2005 3:54:47 GMT -5
Georgia Seeks Talks With Breakaway Region
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: December 15, 2005
MOSCOW, Dec. 14 - President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia on Wednesday offered to meet with the leadership of the breakaway region of Abkhazia, seeking to begin talks on economic cooperation and development between what have been bitterly opposed sides.
Mr. Saakashvili's invitation reaffirmed what had been a clear shift in his administration's public position toward Georgia's westernmost region, where there was an ethnic war between Georgians and the Abkhaz in the early 1990's.
In 2004, Mr. Saakashvili tried a naval blockade of Abkhazia's Black Sea harbors, which resulted in a Georgian Coast Guard vessel firing on a freighter steering toward Sukhumi, the enclave's self-declared capital.
Since then, Georgia has taken a less confrontational position and has said it is open to negotiations to resolve the conflict and to restore Georgia's territorial integrity.
Zurab Nogaideli, Georgia's prime minister, said he hoped the offer would lead to a renewed contact between the sides and allow for peace negotiations to gain traction.
"This is the first step," Mr. Nogaideli said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, Georgia's capital. "We can say that economic development and cooperation can be confidence-building steps on the way to discussing a political settlement."
Mr. Nogaideli said Georgia had not yet received a reply from the Abkhaz government and that no date had been proposed for a meeting. Sergey Bagapsh, the de facto president of Abkhazia, could not be reached by telephone on Wednesday night.
Mr. Saakashvili's offer came as Georgia and the leadership of the country's other breakaway region, South Ossetia, had been exchanging proposals to settle that conflict.
Responding to the previous proposals from Mr. Saakashvili, South Ossetia's de facto president, Eduard Kokoity, recently proposed a three-stage settlement plan, beginning with demilitarization talks in February. Mr. Nogaideli said he supported the proposal, but would like to see talks begin by the end of this month.
Restoring Georgian control of its territory has been a central ambition of Mr. Saakashvili's presidency and is seen as an essential step for the country's chances of joining the European Union and NATO.
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: December 15, 2005
MOSCOW, Dec. 14 - President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia on Wednesday offered to meet with the leadership of the breakaway region of Abkhazia, seeking to begin talks on economic cooperation and development between what have been bitterly opposed sides.
Mr. Saakashvili's invitation reaffirmed what had been a clear shift in his administration's public position toward Georgia's westernmost region, where there was an ethnic war between Georgians and the Abkhaz in the early 1990's.
In 2004, Mr. Saakashvili tried a naval blockade of Abkhazia's Black Sea harbors, which resulted in a Georgian Coast Guard vessel firing on a freighter steering toward Sukhumi, the enclave's self-declared capital.
Since then, Georgia has taken a less confrontational position and has said it is open to negotiations to resolve the conflict and to restore Georgia's territorial integrity.
Zurab Nogaideli, Georgia's prime minister, said he hoped the offer would lead to a renewed contact between the sides and allow for peace negotiations to gain traction.
"This is the first step," Mr. Nogaideli said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, Georgia's capital. "We can say that economic development and cooperation can be confidence-building steps on the way to discussing a political settlement."
Mr. Nogaideli said Georgia had not yet received a reply from the Abkhaz government and that no date had been proposed for a meeting. Sergey Bagapsh, the de facto president of Abkhazia, could not be reached by telephone on Wednesday night.
Mr. Saakashvili's offer came as Georgia and the leadership of the country's other breakaway region, South Ossetia, had been exchanging proposals to settle that conflict.
Responding to the previous proposals from Mr. Saakashvili, South Ossetia's de facto president, Eduard Kokoity, recently proposed a three-stage settlement plan, beginning with demilitarization talks in February. Mr. Nogaideli said he supported the proposal, but would like to see talks begin by the end of this month.
Restoring Georgian control of its territory has been a central ambition of Mr. Saakashvili's presidency and is seen as an essential step for the country's chances of joining the European Union and NATO.