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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia | |
| Independence vote in Ossetia will fuel tensions: NATO chief | |
| 2006-11-12 | |
| BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warned on Saturday that an independence referendum in Georgia’s separatist province of South Ossetia would only stoke regional tensions. ‘On behalf of NATO, I join other international leaders in rejecting the so-called ‘referendum’ and ‘elections’ conducted in the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region of Georgia,’ he said in a statement. ‘Such actions serve no purpose other than to exacerbate tensions in the South Caucasus region,’ he added. Georgia’s Russian-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia was preparing itself Saturday for the controversial independence vote to take place the following day as Tbilisi’s diplomatic crisis with Moscow simmered. Populated by a mix of ethnic Ossetians and Georgians on Russia’s southwestern border, South Ossetia has long served as a flashpoint in already tense Russian-Georgian relations. The Georgian authorities have slammed the poll and international observers have branded it ‘counterproductive’, while Russia has upheld the referendum as a legitimate reaction to Georgian pressure. ‘The international community, including NATO, has strongly and continuously reaffirmed its support for the territorial integrity of Georgia,’ said Scheffer. ‘I call on all sides to act in good faith to conduct negotiations towards achieving a political settlement. ‘Peaceful resolution is the only way to achieve long-term peace and stability in the South Caucasus region.’
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-11-12 04:48 |