US warns Russia over Georgia row

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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned Russia against stoking tension in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Speaking in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, Ms Rice said Russia should help resolve tensions instead of contributing to them.

Six people have been killed in violence in the region in the past week.

Georgia and Russia have also accused each other of flying jets over South Ossetia, violating a ceasefire.

Russian and UN peacekeepers have been deployed in the region since the early 1990s, when violence erupted as separatists sought to break free from Georgian control.

Georgia accuses Russia of backing the separatists and seeking to absorb the territories.

Russia has accused Georgia of bringing the region to the brink of armed conflict, and of orchestrating violence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia says it just wants protect the interests of Russian citizens who make up the majority of the population in both regions.

'Territorial integrity'

Standing alongside Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Ms Rice said: "It is very important that all parties reject violence as an option. There must be a peaceful solution.

"It is extremely important that the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia be resolved on the basis of principles that respect that territorial integrity of Georgia," she added.

Tensions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are higher than they have been for many months, says the BBC's Matthew Collin in Tbilisi.

On Wednesday, Georgia accused Russia of sending fighter jets into its airspace in South Ossetia in a bid to undermine it ahead of Ms Rice's visit.

However, Russia said Georgia violated a ceasefire when two of its jets flew over the region on the same day.

On Sunday, four people were killed when a bomb exploded in a cafe in Abkhazia.

Two people also died when rebels clashed with Georgian troops in South Ossetia last week.