NICE, France, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after the 22nd Russia-European Union summit that his country's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is final. The Russian head of state said after the international talks in Nice, France, that there likely would be no revisions of his country's official recognition of the two runaway Georgian states, ITAR-TASS reported Saturday. Medvedev said in addition to recognizing the two states, which he said had been targeted by Georgia in the past, Russia was prepared for other Caucasus settlement talks. "We are ready for a further constructive discussion of settlement in the Caucasus. We are ready to discuss this directly, looking each other into eyes," the president said. "Russia recognizes Georgia's territorial integrity taking into account the fact that it recognized independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia." ITAR-TASS reported that Medvedev said thanks, in part, to the efforts of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his country was able to resolve the conflict in South Ossetia and enjoy fruitful talks with EU officials during the summit.
The Russian head of state said after the international talks in Nice, France, that there likely would be no revisions of his country's official recognition of the two runaway Georgian states, ITAR-TASS reported Saturday.
Medvedev said in addition to recognizing the two states, which he said had been targeted by Georgia in the past, Russia was prepared for other Caucasus settlement talks.
"We are ready for a further constructive discussion of settlement in the Caucasus. We are ready to discuss this directly, looking each other into eyes," the president said.
"Russia recognizes Georgia's territorial integrity taking into account the fact that it recognized independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia."
ITAR-TASS reported that Medvedev said thanks, in part, to the efforts of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his country was able to resolve the conflict in South Ossetia and enjoy fruitful talks with EU officials during the summit.
Gordon Brown says he is disappointed by "partisan talk" after the shadow chancellor warned his actions could lead to sterling's collapse. George Osborne told the Times the PM's willingness to borrow his way out of trouble was "irresponsible". Sterling has fallen sharply in recent weeks amid fears about a UK recession.
Gordon Brown says he is disappointed by "partisan talk" after the shadow chancellor warned his actions could lead to sterling's collapse.
George Osborne told the Times the PM's willingness to borrow his way out of trouble was "irresponsible".
Sterling has fallen sharply in recent weeks amid fears about a UK recession.
Brown (and his tory predecessors) built the entire economy aroudn the galloping success of the City; when that falls apart they've got nothing else to prop it up. They put all their eggs in one basket and then dropped it. keep to the Fen Causeway
Leading voice in the European Parliament expresses anxiety about UN plan for the EU's mission in Serb areas of Kosovo. A UN-sponsored plan under which the EU's police and justice mission in Kosovo would extend its reach into Serb-dominated northern Kosovo in return for as yet undisclosed concessions could lead the de facto `soft partition' of Kosovo permanent, a leading voice on Kosovo in the European Parliament has warned. Joost Lagendijk, a Dutch member of the Green group in the European Parliament who is currently drafting a report on Kosovo, said that he was all in favour of "constructive ambiguity" - the use of terminology that can be interpreted in slightly different ways by different sides - to facilitate progress in Kosovo, whose self-declared independence is rejected by its ethnic-Serb minority. However, Lagendijk told European Voice that he feared that the UN plan could make permanent the current political and administrative divisions in Kosovo. To prevent that, Lagendijk said, the European Parliament should be prepared to use its powers over the EU budget, from which Eulex is funded, if the EU mission began to apply two sets of law in Kosovo or to follow two separate chains of command.
A UN-sponsored plan under which the EU's police and justice mission in Kosovo would extend its reach into Serb-dominated northern Kosovo in return for as yet undisclosed concessions could lead the de facto `soft partition' of Kosovo permanent, a leading voice on Kosovo in the European Parliament has warned.
Joost Lagendijk, a Dutch member of the Green group in the European Parliament who is currently drafting a report on Kosovo, said that he was all in favour of "constructive ambiguity" - the use of terminology that can be interpreted in slightly different ways by different sides - to facilitate progress in Kosovo, whose self-declared independence is rejected by its ethnic-Serb minority. However, Lagendijk told European Voice that he feared that the UN plan could make permanent the current political and administrative divisions in Kosovo. To prevent that, Lagendijk said, the European Parliament should be prepared to use its powers over the EU budget, from which Eulex is funded, if the EU mission began to apply two sets of law in Kosovo or to follow two separate chains of command.
I have to ask permission to use it. It is part of a documentary in pre-production. You can't be me, I'm taken
