Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili will use avisit to the Council of Europe today to unveil proposals to give broad autonomy to South Ossetia, in an effort to end a long-running conflict with the breakaway region.

Mr Saakashvili plans to offer a power-sharing arrangement that will give South Ossetia full responsibility for education and cultural policy and public order issues, as well as guarantees on its language. The central government in Tbilisi would be responsible for security and defence, foreign policy and fiscal policy.