Georgia Wants EU to Act as ‘Guarantor’ in S.Ossetia Talks

Georgia wants the EU to be a ?guarantor? in talks for resolving the South Ossetian conflict, Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said after talks with EU’s external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner in Brussels, RFE/RL reported on September 14.

Bezhuashvili left for Brussels on September 14 to hold talks with the top officials from the EU and NATO.

The Georgian Foreign Minister also said that Tbilisi seeks direct bilateral talks with the South Ossetian side to solve the conflict ?solely? through peaceful means.

An unnamed EU diplomat told RFE/RL that Georgia’s expectations about the organization?s role in the conflict resolution process are perceived by the EU as “extremely high,” and that the country risks losing EU support if it openly antagonizes Russia or takes unilateral measures.

Speaking at a conference in Slovenia in August, EU’s external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner criticized South Caucasian states, including Georgia, for drastic increases in defense spending and ?increasingly inflammatory rhetoric.?

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