Georgia's position at Geneva talks 'non-constructive' say Russia

Participants in the latest Geneva security talks have failed to
achieve any progress due to Georgia's "non-constructive" position, a
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday, RIA Novosti
reports.

The 14th round of the Geneva talks, involving Georgia, Russia, South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, was held in Switzerland on December 16. The
talks aim at adopting a non-aggression treaty to ensure security in
the South Caucasus.

"Further progress, important for the security of all three states, was
hampered at the meeting by the non-constructive position of Georgia's
representatives," Alexei Sazonov said.

The talks were launched in October 2008 following the Russian-Georgian
war, which began when Georgia attacked its former breakaway republic
of South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and another former Georgian republic,
Abkhazia, two weeks after the end of the August 2008 five-day war with
Georgia. The decision was slammed by Western powers.

Addressing the European Parliament in late November, Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili said his country would not use force to
regain the breakaway republics.

The South Ossetian and Abkhazian presidents, Eduard Kokoity and Sergei
Bagapsh, said on December 6 they also had no intention of attacking or
threatening Georgia.

"It has become evident again that Tbilisi is not ready to develop
respective and good neighborly relations with Abkhazia and South
Ossetia," the ministry spokesman said.