RUSSIA: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Moscow to drum up support for sanctions against North Korea; urges reduction in tension between Georgia and Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Moscow on Saturday (October 21) to complete a five-day trip aimed at shoring up support for sanctions against Pyongyang. Rice arrived from China where she had met Tang Jiaxuan, China's special envoy to North Korea, in Beijing on Friday (October 20), the final stop on the Asian leg of the trip intended to consolidate backing for U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea a week ago. South Korean and Japanese news reports on Friday suggested that Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, told Tang this week that he planned no further nuclear tests, indicating Beijing had achieved a diplomatic breakthrough. However, Rice said she believed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was intent on increasing tension over an Oct. 9 underground nuclear test. She also played down news reports that Kim had told Beijing he "regretted" the test, that was condemned internationally, including by China, the North's closest ally and economic lifeline. Rice said North Korea appeared instead to want to exacerbate the crisis and she questioned whether Pyongyang intended to return to six-party talks stalled for nearly a year. Amid heavy security, her motorcade arrived at the Grand Marriott Hotel in Moscow on Saturday (October 21), shortly after touching down at the airport in the morning. During her visit to Moscow, Rice also urged Russia and Georgia on Saturday to reduce the current tension between their countries and said provocative actions in two separatist Georgian regions could get out of control. "We are asking the Georgians and the Russians to do everything they can to de-escalate the tensions," Rice told reporters traveling with her from Beijing to Moscow. The latest crisis between the two former Soviet states stems from Georgia's brief detention of four Russian servicemen on suspicion of espionage. They were released after international mediation, but Russia cut sea, air, rail and postal links and ordered the deportation of hundreds of Georgians it says are illegal immigrants. Putin on Friday (October 20) told European Union leaders in Finland that Georgia was risking bloodshed by seeking to regain control over the regions by military means. Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuasvhili immediately denied his country had any intention to use force. The leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which broke away from Georgian control more than a decade ago, said on Saturday they had no wish to find an accommodation with Tbilisi. Neither region is recognised as independent by any state. Rice also said she would raise the issue of murdered investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of Putin. Rice will give an interview to the slain reporter's newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, later on Saturday.

ITN Source | October 21, 2006

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