EU Envoy Speaks of S.Ossetian Position

The European Union?s Special Representative to the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie, who recently held talks with the authorities of breakaway South Ossetia, said at a news briefing in Tbilisi on April 8 that the South Ossetian side actively pushes the issue of confidence building between the conflicting sides and expresses a readiness for a dialogue, but rules out talks on the political status of the region.

?The South Ossetian position is that the status is not on the agenda now. They say that first there should be a political settlement in three stages. I think they are referring here to [Georgian] President [Mikheil] Saakashvili?s speech at the UN [last September],? the EU envoy said. 

He said that there is ?kind of a movement going on in Georgia? regarding the political status of South Ossetia. ?The government and the Venice Commission are preparing a draft on autonomy for South Ossetia,? Talvitie added.

The European diplomat also said that the South Ossetian side has ?acknowledged that the Georgian side has withdrawn many of its peacekeepers from the zone of conflict. They acknowledge that Georgia could have 500, but currently has only 75 peacekeepers? as part of the joint ? Georgian, Ossetian, Russian peacekeeping forces.

?But they are complaining that Georgia is rotating these 75 peacekeepers very often? They say that a lot of military movement in the zone of conflict makes the population nervous,? Heikki Talvitie said.

He said that his frequent visits to Tskhinvali does not mean that the EU is trying ?to compensate for the Joint Control Commission? which is the Russian-led quadripartite body, also involving the Georgian, South Ossetian and Russia?s North Ossetian sides, to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the conflict zone, but rather ?to facilitate and assist? the commission.

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