NATO denies joining delegation to Georgia
LONDON (Reuters) - NATO officials will not be part of a delegation travelling to Georgia to try to broker a ceasefire in its conflict with Russia over the rebel South Ossetia region, a spokeswoman said on Saturday.
The comment came after Britain's Defence Secretary Des Browne told Sky television in Britain that NATO officials would join EU, U.S., and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) officials headed to Georgia on Saturday night to try to negotiate an end to the fighting.
"NATO denies it is sending an envoy to the region," said NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero.
She said NATO had contact with Georgia and Russia but had no mandate to mediate in the region.
"NATO repeats its appeal to all sides including the Russians to immediately cease military operations and start negotiating. The negotiations ... can only be based on Georgia's territorial integrity," she added.
Britain's Foreign Office later said: "The EU and the OSCE are going and we'll be in very close contact with the Americans on it ... There is no firm decision that the Americans are in the group."
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
One Year Later
A year after militants laid siege to Mumbai, the country still remains very vulnerable. Full Article | Full Coverage
Liberhan Commission Report
The government published a long awaited report, recently leaked, accusing BJP leaders of a role in the 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya. Full Article
