Georgia: UN Envoy meets with Abkhaz leaders

Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, who is UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict, has met in Sukhum with Abkhaz Prime Minister Gennadii Gagulia and Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba, Caucasus Press reported on 13 February. Tagliavini told journalists they discussed the possibility of renewing talks between the Abkhaz and Georgian sides within the framework of the UN-sponsored Coordinating Council. Tagliavini too argued that it would be premature to withdraw the CIS peacekeeping force from Abkhazia at this juncture, ITAR-TASS reported. LF