Russian-Georgian diplomacy talks end in Geneva without progress

Jul 27, 2010, 18:49 GMT

Geneva - A 12th round of talks between Russian and Georgian diplomats ended Tuesday evening with no apparent narrowing of view between the two sides over South Caucasus region issues.

European Union mediator Pierre Morel, summing up the talks coming nearly two years after the bloody five-day conflict in South Ossetia, said: 'One can still see a large gap.'

He called on the two sides to show greater willingness to compromise in what is a 'difficult process' which finally needed some concrete steps.

The key differences concern finding a new mutual non-aggression treaty.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Girogi Bokeria accused Moscow of taking an obstructive stance in the talks on the future of the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which have broken away from Georgia.

The Kremlin was refusing to assure the freedom of travel of the people in the region, Bokeria charged. He also alleged that Russian troops had repeatedly arrested Georgian citizens without reason.

'Moscow is trying to undermine the negotiating process,' he said, while saying the failure of his Russian counterpart, Grigori Karassin, to show up for talks at the UN offices in Geneva demonstrated the Russians' 'cynical, alarming' position.

EU diplomat Morel said that there were also many open differences regarding residency and ownership rights of people who had been expelled in the conflict.

He said the one cause for hope was the 'sober atmosphere' of the latest talks.

UN special envoy for Georgia, Antti Turunen, warned the two sides against breaking off the contacts. 'Much patience is needed because we now must deal with the really sensitive issues,' he said.

The next diplomatic-level talks in Geneva between Russia and Georgia are set for October 14.