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Rice Urges End to Separatist Violence in Georgia

By David I. McKeeby

Russia must do more to help defuse rising tensions between neighboring Georgia and its breakaway regions, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "It needs to be a part of resolving the problem and solving the problem and not contributing to it."

In a July 10 briefing in Tbilisi with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Rice underlined U.S. support for Georgia's emerging democracy and stepped-up international diplomatic efforts to resolve ongoing disputes over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Her visit follows several months of simmering tensions in the region, including a recent series of bombings in Abkhazia, as well as a clash between South Ossetian separatists and Georgian security forces.

"There are many things that could be done and we're going to pursue them, but I do think we need to do it more intensively," Rice said. She also stressed the need for direct dialogue between the Georgian government and Abkhazia.

Following a series of meetings with both government leaders and opposition party members, Rice thanked Georgia for its contributions of troops to both Iraq and Afghanistan and encouraged continued progress toward developing democratic institutions. "A strong parliament, strong independent media, a strong civil society and an independent judiciary will ultimately serve as the foundation for democracy in Georgia," Rice said.

The Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions declared independence from Georgia following brief but violent conflicts in the early 1990s that displaced thousands of families and remain among several unresolved "frozen conflicts" across the territory of the former Soviet Union. (See "South Caucasus Should Follow European Path, Says Fried ( http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2008/June/20080618180749idybeekcm0.9809992.html ).")

The United States supports the Georgian government's commitment to peace, Rice said, and is working with France, Germany, Russia and Britain through the Friends of the U.N. Secretary-General on Georgia to get the process back on track. "Violence should not be carried out by any party. And we, through the Friends process, will do everything that we can to help resolve those conflicts," Rice said.

But while Russia may be a member of the Friends group, many of its recent actions in the region have caused concern in Washington, Rice said.

Russia has extended passports to many current residents of the disputed territories, and Russian troops are known to be serving in both separatist governments as well as their armed forces. Rice also expressed U.S. concern about Russia's April 2008 order to expand its cooperation and assistance programs to the two breakaway regions as well as the Kremlin's decision to deploy 500 additional troops into the Abkhaz conflict zone without Georgia's consent.

"Georgia is an independent state. It has to be treated like one," Rice said in a recent interview.

While Russian peacekeepers have operated under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States in both territories, Georgia has called for them to be replaced by a new international presence, pointing to repeated Russian violations of Georgia's territory, such as the July 8 incursion of four Russian warplanes into Georgian airspace; artillery and air strikes on Georgian villages bordering the regions; and the recent Russian shoot-down of a Georgian unmanned surveillance plane.

The European Union has proposed taking part in the new peacekeeping force, the first step in a new Friends group peace proposal which has been endorsed by all members except Russia.

Rice repeated America's strong support for Tbilisi's efforts to secure a Membership Action Plan (MAP) - a multiyear program of advice, assistance and support for reforms ahead of applying for NATO membership.

"I think the NATO MAP would be a very good status from which Georgians could move to resolve their frozen conflicts, in much the way that we've seen the MAP work to help any number of countries deal with difficult issues," Rice said.

Rice's remarks ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2008/July/20080710161637gmnanahcub0.3613092.html ) are available from America.gov.

Source: U.S. Department of State