During talks in Gali on 20 May, Georgian and Abkhaz government delegations failed to reach agreement on measures to clarify the situation in the Kodori Gorge. The Abkhaz side continues to insist on the creation of a stationary post manned by CIS peacekeepers and UN observers in the village of Azhara in the upper, Georgian-controlled reaches of the gorge; the Georgians oppose this. The two sides did agree, however, to cooperate on the restoration of the Inguri hydroelectric power station, which is to be financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank at a cost of some $38 million. Meanwhile, a joint patrol of Kodori by Russian peacekeepers and members of the UN Observer Mission on 16-18 May failed to locate any Georgian Army troops in the upper reaches of the gorge. (Caucasus Press)