Georgians sign peace deal

Georgian officials and Abkhazian separatists signed an agreement providing for the repatriation of tens of thousands of refugees to Abkhazia, Reuter reports from Geneva. The eight-point 'memorandum of understanding', reached after two days of UN-mediated talks, invites the UN to send an international peace-keeping force to Abkhazia.

Separatists seized control of the province in September. More than 200,000 refugees fled the province amid accusations from Georgia of Bosnian-style 'ethnic cleansing'.