GENEVA, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - The atmosphere at the Geneva talks on the Caucasus situation was "predictably tough but frank," the head of the Russian delegation said Tuesday.
The talks started on Monday but were halted as Abkhazia and South Ossetia pulled out and Russia took a break while awaiting a new draft report by the UN secretary general on the situation. The talks resumed on Tuesday after the participants received the amended version of the draft report.
The revised draft report was submitted by UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon three days later than anticipated. Unlike previous drafts it makes no mention of Georgian sovereignty over its former republic of Abkhazia.
Grigory Karasin, a deputy Russian foreign minister, said that at the talks Russia distributed a draft resolution containing commitments on the non-use of force by parties to resolve regional problems.
He said the next meeting will be held July 1.
Georgia's foreign minister, Grigol Vashadze, claimed on Tuesday that the UN Secretary General's draft report on the situation in the Caucasus region had been amended due to pressure from Russia.
But the Russian Foreign Ministry called Georgian claims "empty talk" and said Moscow was also dissatisfied with the document.
The Geneva talks are backed by the UN, the EU and the OSCE and involve Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Russia recognized the former Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states on August 26 last year, two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia to try to regain control of the region.
Friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia were signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last November.
Under the pacts, Russia has among other things pledged to help the republics protect their borders, and the signatories have granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.
