Russian lawmaker discourages NATO talks

Published: Sept. 15, 2008 at 7:56 PM

MOSCOW, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- NATO discussions with the Republic of Georgia will encourage it to plan new military actions, a Russian lawmaker said Monday.

RIA Novosti reported that Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, warned against continuing talks.

"Holding further talks on the issue of Georgia's NATO membership encourages the current Georgian authorities to employ force in order to restore territorial integrity," Kosachyov was quoted as saying.

In April, NATO members decided to postpone offering Georgia and Ukraine the chance to join the NATO Membership Action Plan, a step toward full membership. NATO members promised to review the decision in December.

NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, heading a delegation of envoys from all 26 members of the Western military alliance, arrived Monday in Georgia to discuss plans for Tbilisi's future NATO membership and to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Kosachyov also said that the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe may recommend that Russia quit its NATO association if the delegation's powers are suspended.

"If a decision is made to suspend the powers of the delegation, I will recommend to the government not to remain in the Council of Europe," Kosachyov said.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
U.S. adviser to Kurds criticized (12 min)
Woods leads at Masters in Australia (20 min)
Duangdecha's 62 worth lead in Hong Kong (20 min)
Watercooler Stories
Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
fark
100-year-old refuses to retire, signing five-year lawnmowing contract. So keep off it
Wife pulls knife on husband because he took her vodak away. He holds her at bay with a chair while...
Gallant parks his car in legally designated spaces and treats authority figures with respect. Goofus...
Guy calls police to report his roommates are smashing potatoes over imaginary woman's head
"Stripper-mobile" just proves everything about Las Vegas has become absolutely ridiculous. That...
What does a death sentence really mean? If you're in California, it means years and years of living...