Alalam News Network, Iran
Aug 10 2008

Iran Ready to Defuse Georgia Conflict

TEHRAN, Aug 10–Iran says it is ready to offer any help to end the
mounting crisis in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told reporters on
Saturday that the the Islamic republic voices concern over the
military conflicts in South Ossetia that have left hundreds of
defenseless people dead and calls for an immediate halt to the
clashes.

The spokesman also said "Iran is ready to offer any help … under its
principal policies of contributing to the establishment of peace and
stability in the region."

Georgian military forces began a large-scale military offensive
against South Ossetian separatists on Thursday evening in order to
regain control of the province, which declared independence after the
collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia deployed its peacekeeping troops to South Ossetia following
Georgia’s military offensive against the breakaway region.

Urging the two sides to reach a negotiated solution on the disputed
region, Ghashghavi warned that the deterioration of conditions could
spill over the entire region which would leave "negative impacts".

Iran borders with two of Georgia’s neighbors in the Caucasus —
Armenia and Azerbaijan — and historically maintains a close
geopolitical interest in the region.