It was pointed out during the talks that the conflict between Georgia's central government and the authorities of the renegade province should be resolved through diplomacy, Ms. Jones said. And the U.S. is ready to help Georgia with that, she emphasized.
The Assistant Secretary of State pointed out that Georgia is one of the U.S. allies in the global war against terrorism, and thanked the Georgian government for its support. And the U.S. Administration backs the Georgian leadership in their efforts to protect the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, she said.
Ms. Burdzhanadze told the media that Ms. Jones and herself had discussed issues of fundamental importance, including regional conflicts and problems facing the Georgian economy.
"We hope that the strategic relations between Georgia and the United States will continue-the U.S. Administration has the will for that," pointed out the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament.
The Burdzhanadze-Jones talks also dealt with prospects of the development of the East-West energy corridor, the Novosti Georgia news agency reports.
General Svyatoslav Nabzdorov, Commander of the Russian Peacekeeping Force in the Georgia-Ossetia conflict zone, expressed his doubts as to the sincerity of the Georgian government.
General Nabzdorov said that the Georgian side was probably trying to make it difficult for the peacekeepers to control the situation in the conflict zone so that it could then use their not being in control as a pretext for not letting in a Russian helicopter group, which, he insisted, was much needed here.
The Georgian side does not seem to realize the importance of peacekeeping helicopters for monitoring developments in remote areas and responding promptly, the Russian general said.
