Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 12 2005
Abkhaz Leader, U.S. Officials Discuss Conflict Resolution
President of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh told the visiting
U.S. diplomats on April 11 that Abkhazia will not give up its
uncompromising stance over the region’s independence, Abkhaz news
agency Apsnypress reports.
U.S. Senior Advisor for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy Ambassador
Steven Mann, who is also the Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh
and Eurasian Conflicts, U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles and
other officials visited the Abkhaz capital on April 11. They held
talks with Abkhaz leader Bagapsh, vice-president Raul Khajimba and
speaker of parliament Nugzar Ashuba.
The Abkhaz leader reiterated that Sokhumi is presently ready to
discuss only economic issues with the Georgian side, as talks over
the political problems bring the negotiation process to a halt.
Sergey Bagapsh said that the Abkhaz side is ready to contribute to
developing a peace plan, which could guarantee `peaceful co-existence
of the two neighboring states,’ the agency reports.
According to Apsnypress, Ambassador Steven Mann also pointed out that
the United States supports only a peaceful resolution of this
conflict.