US Disagrees With Russia Over OSCE Border Monitoring Criticism

(Tbilisi, September 7, 2002, Civil Georgia) – Douglas Davidson, the deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE acknowledged criticism of the OSCE border monitoring operation in Georgia by Russia. However, the United States “does not agree with many of the complaints raised by the Russian delegation,” Davidson said.

Russian concerns “should be given serious attention and fully addressed by the review,” Douglas Davidson told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on September 5, the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State reports on September 6.

Russian delegation to the OSCE severely criticized OSCE Border Monitoring Group saying that the mission is not neutral and do not react on violations that occur by the Georgian side. 

At the OSCE Permanent Council Davidson said that the United States “fully supports” the work of the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation in Georgia and also welcomes “the decision of the Chair and Ambassador Lacombe [head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia] to conduct a thorough review” of that operation, Davidson said.

The border monitoring operation was established by the OSCE in December 1999, to survey Georgia’s mountainous 81-kilometre frontier with the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. Starting from January 2002, observers from the OSCE began monitoring of border between Georgia and the Ingush Republic of the Russian Federation as well.

The Russian criticism towards the border monitoring operation was caused by the statement of the OSCE concerning the bombardments of the Georgian territory on August 23 causing death of one Georgian civilian.

The OSCE Chairmanship expressed deep concern regarding the recent bombing. The Chairmanship noted that OSCE monitors from the Girevi Patrol Base, south of the Chechen part of the Georgian-Russian Federation border, had observed numerous aircraft flying from north to south [from Russian into Georgia] on August 23. “The planes were flying at high altitude at subsonic speed. Several minutes later, the patrol saw flashes and heard the sound of detonations,” the OSCE reported on August 23.

Russian side rejected Georgian proposals for OSCE participation in joint investigation of August 23 bombardments and send 20 expert of the Defense Ministry to Georgia to investigate the bombardment case together with Georgian counterparts.

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