| Italy says Russian recognition of rebel regions lacks legal basis |
| August 26, 2008 | |
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AFP Italy rejected Tuesday Russia's decision to recognise the rebel Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, arguing it carried no legal weight internationally. The move "does not apply in an international legal framework," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said, adding in remarks carried by ANSA his "bitterness" at what he described as a unilateral move by the Kremlin. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Tuesday he had signed a decree under which Russia formally recognises South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. "An ethnic-based balkanisation of the Caucasus is a serious danger for all," Frattini said before the parliament's foreign relations committee, after receiving news about the recognition. |