Secretary-General Kofi Annan has held talks
with President Eduard Schevardnadze of Georgia concerning the conflicts
in the region, Mr. Annan's spokesman said today.
In a statement to a United Nations news
briefing in New York, Spokesman Fred Eckhard said the Secretary-General
had talked with President Schevardnadze by telephone on Wednesday and that
their discussions included "the Abkhaz situation and the tragic conflict
in the Northern Caucasus."
In particular, Mr. Eckhard said, they discussed the refugee situation and the humanitarian consequences for the civilian population as a whole.