Progress was made in the second round of talks between Russia and Georgia on 19 November in Geneva, say diplomats. Mediated by the EU, OSCE and UN, the talks were part of the 12 August ceasefire agreement following the two countries' conflict over the separatist territory of South Ossetia and were aimed at reconciling the differences between the two countries. "Today we have taken a big step forward," said the EU special envoy for the Caucasus, Pierre Morel. "All of the participants have recognised that the security situation remains quite unsatisfactory." Since the five-day war ended, there have been shootings and explosions along the new de facto border. There were "dramatic" incidents "virtually every day", Morel said, adding: "We are dealing with problems of local security, police, criminality [and] attacks that call for more sustainable measures. We are working from the bottom up towards medium- and long-term strategies for stabilising the situation."
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