MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian first deputy foreign minister said Thursday that any attempts to undermine negotiations on the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict were counterproductive.
Valery Loshchinin met with U.S. ambassador William Burns, who spoke against a military solution to the conflict and expressed U.S. readiness to help defuse the situation in the South Caucasus.
Loshchinin elaborated on the reasons behind the conflict and commented on possible solutions, namely, the need to step up efforts of the Joint Control Commission for the Georgian-Ossetian conflict resolution and the joint peacekeeping forces, the ministry's information and press department said.
The self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia in Georgia quit the Joint Control Commission after Georgia's alleged attack on its capital September 20.
Eight people, including two children, were wounded in the attack, which came during celebrations of the 15th anniversary of South Ossetia's declaration of independence, unrecognized by Georgia. South Ossetia demanded an apology, but Georgia denied any involvement in the attack.
