Diplomats Sign Agreement On South Ossetia Dispute

15 July 2004 -- A Russian negotiator says Russian, Georgian, and South Ossetian diplomats have signed a protocol agreeing not to use force to solve a tense dispute over the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia.

There were no remarks from Georgian and South Ossetian officials after the talks in Moscow today.

Pro-Russia South Ossetia has had de facto independence since 1992. But Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed to bring the region under central government control, and recent conflicts have raised tensions in the region.

In the latest incident, Georgian authorities said a Russian humanitarian convoy that was seized by Georgian police forces on 13 July in South Ossetia will be released.

(AP)