ABKHAZIA SHIFTS NEGOTIATING STRATEGY.

In what may representa major shift, Abkhaz foreign minister Leonid Lakerbaya has calledfor Abkhaz-Georgian negotiations to take place under UN and OSCEauspices with only a Russian "contribution" to thetalks, Russian media reported August 28. Last week, the AbkhazSupreme Soviet rejected a Russian proposal on the principlesof a settlement–an Abkhaz territory within a federated Georgia–butfrom 1993 until now, Russia has served as the mediator and dominantinfluence in the talks. By suggesting an alternative venue, theAbkhaz government clearly is hoping to give itself more roomfor maneuver.

Azerbaijani People’s Front Makes Concessions.