Georgia: President Describes Russia as the "Elephant in the Room" in Peace Process

The Georgian government is betting that a July 9-10 visit by United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Tbilisi will help reduce tension with Moscow over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Yet, while both Rice and Georgian officials have emphasized Washington's efforts to resolve the two conflicts, some analysts question the US capacity to foster peace in the two separatist territories.

A recent string of explosions in three Abkhaz towns -- Gagra, Sukhumi, and Gali -- in addition to a skirmish between Georgian and separatist forces in the Georgian-controlled Upper Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia has put Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's government under growing pressure. The separatist government in Sukhumi blames Tbilisi for the violence; Tbilisi, predictably, blames Moscow.

There has also been an upswing of tension in the South Ossetian conflict zone, where reports of a Russian military plane violating Georgian airspace surfaced on July 9. In a July 10 statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the aircraft had been sent to prevent an alleged attempt by Georgian forces from entering South Ossetia to free four Georgian servicemen who were arrested by separatist law enforcement agents on July 8.

Moscow claims that its July 9 action was designed "to cool off hot heads in Tbilisi and to prevent the situation from developing into a force scenario, the likelihood of which was more than realistic." The timing of the flight, though, is at odds with a July 8 statement by the Georgian Defense Ministry that the four men had been released.

While Tbilisi has not yet responded to Moscow's assertions, at an earlier joint press briefing with Secretary of State Rice, President Saakashvili described Russia as the "elephant in the room" that is disrupting the peace process.

"This is a very worrisome development," Saakashvili said in reference to the growing tensions with Moscow over Abkhazia. "The main point is that Russia no longer acknowledges jurisdiction of Georgia in an essential part of its territory."

Secretary of State Rice told reporters that she came to Georgia "to make very clear" the United States' commitment to the country's territorial integrity. Moscow, she said, needs to "be a part of