TEHRAN OFFERS MEDIATION IN RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN STANDOFF

Armenpress
Oct 23 2006

TEHRAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: Iran’s foreign minister Manouchehr
Mottaki said October 22 his government was ready to help Russia and
Georgia to defuse tensions, IRNA news agency reported.

"If the two sides consider Iran’s mediation necessary, Tehran will
agree to step in and solve the issue to strengthen regional ties,"
Manouchehr Mottaki said after talks with visiting Georgian counterpart
Gela Bezhuashvili in Tehran.

In a related development a survey conducted by a Georgian newspaper,
Kviris Palitra, found that the majority of Georgians pin their hopes
on the US expecting it to press Russia to end its sanctions against
Tbilisi. The question asked by the newspaper ran, "Which country to
do you expect to show active efforts to help diffuse the standoff
with Russia."

The majority of respondents, some 72 percent, said they pinned
their hopes on the USA and 17 percent believed Ukraine could play a
role. Ukraine was followed by the Baltic states, Germany, Azerbaijan,
Turkey, Great Britain and China.

The last in the list of nations able to help Georgia and Russia end
their confrontation was Armenia.