A Geneva-hosted top meeting on Georgia between French and Russian leaders due Wednesday has been downgraded to one at "expert" level involving officials from Russia, the European Union, the US and UN, it was stated Tuesday.
The decision was taken because a meeting had already taken place in the French Lake Geneva resort of Evian last week between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current EU Council head, UN officials said in Geneva.
They said a further reason for the downgrading was that Russia had insisted that South Ossetia and Abkhazia representatives also be present - despite Georgia insisting it would not negotiate with the two regions it regards as separatist.
The officials stressed that the planned talks Wednesday would this not be regarded as negotiations, but simply as consultations.
The talks would begin with a plenary session also including officials of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, then separate sessions would be held by two groups dealing with stability and security in the region, and with the situation of refugees there.
The UN officials said further such "expert level" meetings were planned in Geneva.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze was quoted by Interfax news agency in Tbilisi Tuesday as saying Georgia was aiming to restore the status quo pertaining in Abkhazia and South Ossetia before the outbreak of war with Russia in August.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia are treated by Russia as independent states while Georgia, the US and the EU see them as part of Georgia.
A peace deal agreed on August 12 called for international talks on the "modalities of security and stability" in Georgia's regions.
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