Itar Tass, Russia
March 17 2005

Leaders of self-proclaimed republics to meet in Moscow

MOSCOW, March 17 (Itar-Tass) – Leaders of Abkhazia, South Ossetia
Nagorno-Karabalh and the Dniester region are to meet in Moscow.

A spokesperson for Abkhazia’s representative office in Moscow told
Itar-Tass on Thursday that `the beginning of the talks of Sergei
Bagapsh, Eduard Kokoity, Arkady Gukasyan and Igor Smirnov is planned
in the next few days’.

The time of conversations depends on when the Dniester region’s
leader Igor Smirnov comes to Moscow.

`Most likely it will be on March 17 or 18,’ the spokesperson said.

`The sides do not officially inform about topics of the forthcoming
meetings,’ he said.

The `leaders of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh held a
preliminary conversation on March 16′.

South Ossetia’s leader Eduard Kokoity `is now taking part in a
meeting of the Joint Control Commission for settlement of the
conflict in this republic,’ he said.