Ukraine calls for ceasefire in Georgia

2008-08-08 21:48:50 GMT2008-08-09 05:48:50 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

KIEV, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine called on Friday for ceasefire in the breakaway province of South Ossetia, Georgia, and for territorial integrity of the country, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Ukraine urges all the parties including Georgians, South Ossetians and Russians to take comprehensive steps to cease fire immediately, and solve the problem through negotiations," the statement said.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko decided to send Deputy Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Yeliseyev as his special envoy to Georgia, following a phone talk with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service.

Hundreds of civilians were reported dead in Friday's outbreak of hostilities between South Ossetia and Georgia.

South Ossetia, along with another breakaway republic Abkhazia, broke away from Georgia in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But their self-proclaimed independence has not been internationally recognized.

EMAIL | PRINT | RSS

Add Your Comments:

Please read our Terms of Service. Messages that harass, abuse or threaten others; have obscene or otherwise objectionable content; have spam, commercial or advertising content or links may be removed.