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U.S. Criticizes Russian Moves In South Ossetia, Praises Georgia (RFE/RL) PRAGUE, March 2, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- For the second time in three weeks, a senior U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has registered concern over the ongoing tensions in Georgia's unrecognized breakaway Republic of South Ossetia and Russia's policies towards that region. Addressing the OSCE's Permanent Council in Vienna on March 2, U.S. Charge d'Affaires Kyle Scott expressed concern that recent incidents in South Ossetia could have triggered new bloodshed there, and he called on "both sides to exercise restraint and take care to...

REGNUM: What parallels can be set between Kosovo and South Ossetia deriving from a possibility that Kosovo independence can be recognized? Of course, analogies can be set between the Kosovo variant and our situation, if we put Georgia on the place of Serbia and South Ossetians instead of Albanians. Each conflict is backed by forces of more powerful states. Well, it is clear that the US stands behind Kosovo, and Russia stands behind us. But in our case it is more comprehendible and grounded, as we used to live in a single country. It is natural that Russia has its...

The London meeting of the Contact Group, which launched the negotiations toward defining Kosovo's status (Interfax, February 1, 2), is being assessed by the post-Soviet secessionist leaderships cautiously. They do not seem to assume that the outcome in Kosovo would necessarily set an international precedent to legalized secession. This is Russian President Vladimir Putin's professed assumption. On January 30-31, Putin called for the post-Soviet enclaves' international recognition and came close to promising Russian recognition if, as expected, Kosovo is granted independence (see EDM, February 2, 6). In the Contact Group's meeting, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov reiterated Putin's...