U.N.: Russian-Georgia talks progressing

GENEVA, Switzerland, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- U.N. officials involved in talks on the Russian-Georgian conflict said overall security in the region was stable, despite concerns about recent detentions.

The eighth round of talks on last year's conflict in South Ossetia, co-chaired by the UN, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, was conducted this week in Geneva, Switzerland, with Russian and Georgian representatives participating, the United Nations said Wednesday in a news release.

The conflict erupted in August 2008, with Georgian troops fighting Russian and separatist South Ossetian forces. Russia later recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist region in Georgia.

The participants, meeting in two working groups to discuss regional security and stability along with humanitarian matters, agreed to continue their talks in the same format next January, a statement released after the talks said.