Russia `Positive` On S.Ossetia OSCE Mission

Only Russia and Nicaragua have recognised the region as independent.

Russia welcomed on Wednesday new proposals from Greece to resolve a row with Europe's main security and rights body and avoid the closure of its monitoring mission in Georgia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference that Moscow had "positively assessed" efforts by the presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to end the dispute over the mission's mandate.

Lavrov earlier met Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni, on her first trip to Moscow since her country took over the OSCE's chairmanship this month. She voiced confidence that a deal would be reached, but declined to give any detail on the proposals.

"The question is not if we can find the formula -- we can find the formula -- as long as we have the will," she told Reuters in an interview before meeting Lavrov.

She said the question of recognition for South Ossetia could be overcome and drew a parallel with Greece's participation in EU missions to Kosovo although Athens has not recognised Pristina's independence from Serbia.

Russia vetoed an extension to the mandate for military observers to Georgia late last year because it wanted a separate mission to Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia.

Western states have refused to comply with that because they say it would amount to de facto acknowledgement that South Ossetia is a sovereign state. Only Russia and Nicaragua have recognised the region as independent.

Western states say OSCE monitors patrolling Georgia's conflict zone with South Ossetia can provide early warning of any new flare-up in hostilities, and investigate allegations of rights abuses against ethnic Georgians.

Western diplomats complain that the lack of access to South Ossetia means they are unclear about what is happening inside the region. A larger EU observer mission operating on Georgia's de facto border zone has been blocked from entering it.

Since 1992, 28 military observers from the Vienna-based OSCE have been based in Georgia. A sub-group in South Ossetia was the only international mission there and will have to stop all activities if the mandate is not extended by a Feb. 18 deadline.

Russia launched a counter-attack against Georgia in August after Tbilisi's forces tried to retake South Ossetia.