OREANDA-NEWS. August 15, 2008. A telephone conversation took place on August 14 between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of France Bernard Kouchner.

The need was discussed to give legal shape to the basic principles agreed in Moscow by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy for de-escalating the crisis brought on by Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia. Lavrov told his French counterpart that the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have signed the document containing the six principles, and now Tbilisi must sign it. It was emphasized that this document must, at last, be signed by the Georgian side too, as was agreed in Moscow. The French minister gave an assurance that Paris is working on this.

The possibility of adopting a UN Security Council resolution which would approve the Moscow document and call on the parties to strictly comply with its provisions also was discussed. It was agreed to proceed in this matter from the understanding recorded in Moscow.