19:00, 8 July 2011

South Ossetia not to discuss refugees' problems at Geneva talks

South Ossetia has decided to withdraw from the negotiations on refugees, held in within the Geneva talks. This was reported by Boris Chochiev, the presidential envoy in South Ossetia on post-conflict settlement issues.

This decision was associated with the UN General Assembly's resolution on "Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia", adopted on June 29.

"If the General Assembly on the third consecutive year adopts the resolution without our participation, then the refugees' problems will not be discussed in the format of the Geneva talks, and then the UN should not participate in them," the agency "Res" quotes the envoy Chochiev as saying.

"This is our clear position, and even if Russia asks us to continue discussing the refugees' problems in the group No. 2 of the Geneva talks, we will not revert. This is our final decision," stressed Mr Chochiev.