PACE President Visits Tskhinvali after Talks with Sanakoev

The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rene van der Linden, traveled to Tskhinvali on July 7 and held talks with the South Ossetian secessionist authorities.

Van der Linden met chief South Ossetian negotiator Boris Chochiev, the secessionist foreign minister and the speaker of the breakaway region?s parliament.

The discussions, according to the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee ?had no special importance.?

A protest rally, timed to coincide with the visit, was held in Tskhinvali. Protesters were keen to express their opposition to Tbilisi?s promotion of Dimitri Sanakoev, the head of the Tbilisi-loyal South Ossetian provisional administration.

Van der Linden had earlier met Sanakoev in Batumi, Adjara on July 6.

That meeting had originally been planned for Kurta, the headquarters of Sanakoev?s administration, which is located in the conflict zone.

Sanakoev told reporters after the talks that he had acquainted the PACE president with the provisional administration?s views on South Ossetian conflict resolution.