U.S. Official Not Certain on Georgia Agenda in Rice’s Moscow Visit

Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State, said North Korea will be the major issue to be discussed during Secretary Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Moscow on October 21, but she will be prepared to discuss Georgia “to the extent that it comes up in a conversation.”

“Obviously, our relationship with Russia is very broad and covers a number of topics. I just don’t know at this point beyond the very specific focus there what other items might come up,” Casey said at a news briefing on October 19.

Tensions between Georgia and Russia are expected to be discussed at the EU-Russian summit in Lahti, Finland on October 20 at a meeting between EU leaders and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

President Saakashvili said on October 19 that he expects the EU to show “a very principled position… towards those human rights abuses which take place against Georgians [living in Russia].”

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