TEHRAN, Sep. 28 (ISNA)-Iran has started the second round of negotiations over Caucasus crisis. Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki pursued Tehran's initiative on Caucasus crisis in a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov in New York.

Russian and Iranian FMs

Mottaki offered further details about Iran's plan in two major spheres of economy and security.

Lavrov for his part welcomed the plan, called "Caucasus diplomacy" or the "3+3 plan", and emphasized it must be put into practice.

Caucasus conflict started on August 7as Georgia attacked South Ossetia, a region in search of autonomy, to regain its control. The war claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and left a large number displaced.

Moscow officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26.

Tehran believes Ossetia conflict happened as cross-regional powers fanned the flames between Russia and Georgia by sending wrong signals. Tehran is optimistic it would aid restoration of peace in the war-torn region employing Caucasus regional commonalities and EU's potentials.

In line with resolving the conflict, Mottaki in the first stage of presenting Tehran's initiative traveled to Russia, Azerbaijan, Germany and Georgia and held a meeting with Armenian counterpart in Tehran to discuss the possible way out of the issue.

... Payvand News - 09/28/08 ...

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