MOSCOW, May 23 (AVN) - The second round of Russian-Georgian talks on withdrawal of militatry bases from the Georgian territory will be held in early June 2000, a source in the Russian General Staff told the Military News Agency.
They will dwell upon the realisation of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and the Moscow-Tbilisi joint statement of November 17, 1999. A corresponding note has been sent to the Georgian side. Although the exact time of the talks is not set yet.
The problem issue is the conditions of the two Russian military bases withdrawal from Georgia. The Vaziani (under Tbilisi) and Gudauty (Abkhazia) bases will have to be withdrawn by summer 2001.
The first round of talks of April 2000 did not reach consensus. The Defence Ministry thinks that it is necessary first of all to agree upon the withdrawal or scrapping of the bases' heavy ordnance. The ministry reckons the Georgian side should create necessary conditions for withdrawal of materiel from Gudauty as a priority.
Meanwhile Abkhazian Defence Minister Vladimir Makamba has recently stated that it is impermissible to withdraw the Gudauty base given that it is used by Russian peacekeepers performing peacemaking tasks in the zone of the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict.