EU voices concern about violence in southern Caucasus

Peter Semneby, the European Union's top envoy to the South Caucasus region, voiced particular concern about the situation in Georgia, where several people have been killed recently in clashes between government forces and separatists from the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

South Ossetia, which has close ties with Russia, is set to hold a referendum on its independence in November, a move that has angered Tbilisi.

Semneby reiterated that the EU would not recognize the referendum's result. "This referendum doesn't help solving the conflict. The EU recognizes Georgia's integrity and that is why this referendum will be of no importance to us," he said.

Semneby said Russia and the European Union should work together to help solve conflicts in South Ossetia and another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, but hinted that Moscow's recent ban on Georgian wines and mineral water over alleged sanitary violations was counterproductive.

"Georgian wines and Georgian mineral water are being imported to the EU and we didn't find any dangerous components in those products," Semneby said.

The Georgian government has accused Russia of backing separatists in both rebel provinces, while the Kremlin accused Georgia of fanning up tensions.

Turning to other ex-Soviet Caucasus nations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Semneby stressed the importance of moving forward in solving their dispute over Nagorno Karabakh, an enclave inside Azerbaijan populated largely by Armenians. AP

/International Herald Tribune/