Georgia, Venice Commission Work over South Ossetia Status

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili said, after talks with the delegation of the Venice Commission on January 28, that the Georgian authorities have started formalizing the proposals for a South Ossetian peace plan, which were unveiled by President Saakashvili at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe on January 26.

The Venice Commission, which is the advisory body of the Council of Europe for the constitutional issues, is helping Georgia with the process of drafting a plan over South Ossetia?s status within the Georgian state.

Gianni Buquicchio of the Venice Commission said at a news conference in Tbilisi on January 28 that the proposed peace plan ?is a good one.?

?Is a very good starting point which should facilitate settlement of this conflict,? Gianni Buquicchio said.

He said that the special commission, chaired by Georgian Justice Minister Giorgi Papuashvili, will work over the document in close cooperation with the Venice Commission to put the ideas proposed by President Saakashvili ?in details and into concrete.?

?This will be a task of the Georgian authorities and the task of the Venice Commission for the next months. I am confident that we will do a good job,? the Venice Commission official said.