U.S. won't recognize S. Ossetia elections

TBILISI, Georgia, June 1 (UPI) -- The United States said Monday it won't recognize the results of elections held during the weekend in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia.

"The United States regrets the decision to hold so-called 'elections' in the South Ossetia region of Georgia on May 31, 2009, and recognizes neither the legality nor the results," the U.S. State Department said in a statement released in Washington. "This represents a step away from a peaceful and negotiated solution to the conflict. The United States reiterates its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders."

Three parties supporting Eduard Kokoity, the politician leading the effort to separate South Ossetia from Georgia, received 91 percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections held Sunday, the BBC reported.

Kokoity said the outcome legitimizes the region's attempt to gain independence, a move only Russia and Nicaragua have given their stamp of approval, the British network said.

"We will work closely together to follow the path of independence that the republic has chosen," Kokoity said. "Our republic, our statehood, have passed yet another test of maturity. Today, the situation in the republic, as you can see, is absolutely calm and stable."

Most ethnic Georgians who had lived in South Ossetia have left the region.

The Georgian government labeled the elections illegal, with Reintegration Minister Temur Iakobashvili calling them "nothing but clownery, a farce and a redistribution of criminal power."

The European Union also sided with Georgia, declaring its "firm support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia."