The leader of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia says he will not meet with President Bush when the U.S. leader visits Tbilisi next month.
The statement by Abkhazia President Sergei Bagapsh Thursday follows comments by a Georgian lawmaker earlier this week suggesting that such a meeting was possible.
The lawmaker also raised the possibility that President Bush could meet with the leader of Georgia's other breakaway region, South Ossetia.
Mr. Bagapsh, who met with a U.S. delegation in Sukhumi Monday, says he will not discuss Abkhazia's political status with the Georgian government
Abkhazia has run its own affairs since 1993 after forcing Georgian troops from the area, but Georgia has vowed to bring the region under its control.
Some information for this report provided by AP.