TSKHINVAL, September 16. /ITAR-TASS/. A leading official of the South Ossetian republic, a scene of the 2008 Georgian aggression, warned on Tuesday of dangers in arming neighboring Georgia with NATO weapons.

"Any military support rendered to Georgia [from which the territory has broken away] is a disturbing factor for us," said Murat Dzhioyev, the South Ossetian president's special representative on settlement of post-conflict issues on Tuesday.

Georgian troops had used Western weapons against the Russia-recognized republic's people during the 2008 aggression, Dzhioyev said, cautioning on rapprochement between Georgia and the North Atlantic military alliance and reflecting on a co-operation package given to Georgia during the bloc's recent summit in Wales.

Dzhioyev spoke as a delegation from the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN) arrived in Tskhinval, the capital of South Ossetia, on Tuesday. These met to discuss agenda items for an October 7-8 meeting in Geneva to address the issue of non-use of force by Georgia against South Ossetia and its neighbouring Abkhazia.

The Geneva meeting will continue a series of discussions under way since the end of 2008 hostilities. Delegations will gather from Abkhazia, Russia, South Ossetia and the United States, joining representatives of the EU, the OSCE and the UN. Discussions there were "crucial" said Jioev, "to ensure that neither of the states resort to arms".

Security in the region was an important priority of OSCE work, said Angelo Gnaedinger, representing the security body. Debate aimed to preserve stability and promote joint efforts to overcome difficulties, he added.