Saakashvili Unveils Some Details of South Ossetia Status
At a news conference late on January 24, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about some of the details of the South Ossetia peace plan that he is expected to unveil at the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 26.
He said that the Georgian authorities are ready to offer a ?wider status to the former autonomous district of South Ossetia? which will guarantee the Ossetian population?s political rights in Georgia.
Particularly, Saakashvili said that Tbilisi?s proposal envisages guaranteed representation of South Ossetians in Georgia?s national Parliament and government, as well as in the judiciary system as well as certain economic benefits and cultural and language autonomy.
?However, defense, border control, public order and human rights ? these are the prerogatives of Georgia?s central authorities,? President Mikheil Saakashvili said.
?The price, which we pay for peace, envisages granting particular political rights to South Ossetia. We are talking about 1% of our population, but this 1% is a very important part of our population. We would like these people to return to a united Georgian state. We are ready to ensure that they [Ossetians] are not oppressed in Georgia,? Saakashvili said.
