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While many of the aspirations Georgians, Abkhazians and South Ossetians are divergent, as described by Oksana Antonenko (''Grim expectations,'' Views, Aug. 14), there are some hopeful signs in their relationships.
Georgians, Abkhazians and South Ossetians are already engaging in the kind of informal dialogues that Oksana Antonenko calls for, and these discussions are having an effect. An informal dialogue among Georgians and South Ossetians which I facilitated in March concluded that water issues were an area that both groups wanted to resolve quickly. An official agreement on irrigation and drinking water was signed in Geneva in July.
The international community can support these dialogues by acknowledging and celebrating influential local participants who bravely meet informally in efforts to prevent a return to war.
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