Kokoity Offers Joint Measures on Conflict Resolution

In an official statement addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and the heads of OSCE member states, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity stresses the necessity for joint development of the Georgian-Ossetian program on “fair resolution of the conflict”, the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee reported on December 12.

?Since the plans on Georgian-Ossetian settlement proposed unilaterally do not yield positive results, I deem it necessary to start joint development of the Georgian-Ossetian program,? Eduard Kokoity said in the statement.   

He proposed setting up a working group by 1 February 2006 within the framework of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) over developing this program, which, as he put it, should include the following positions:
– three-stage scheme of settlement, which should be approved by the parties involved in the conflict resolution; the first stage ? demilitarization of the conflict zone, confidence building and security guarantees; the second stage ? social-economic rehabilitation; the third stage ? political settlement;  
– necessity for urgent talks between the heads of law-enforcement agencies and power structures within the frames of the Joint Control Commission to coordinate actions in the conflict zone;
– holding of talks between parliamentarians, representatives of civil society organizations, intelligentsia and the clergy;
– setting up an informal structure for assisting the JCC with possible participation of the representatives of legislative bodies of the parties involved in conflict resolution; 
– undertaking practical steps towards development of a concept over the Zone on Economic Preference, which [beside South Ossetia itself] could also include the Alagiri district of Russia?s North Ossetia Republic and the Gori district [a central Georgia district which borders the breakaway region];
– promoting the implementation of EC and OSCE-funded economic projects in the conflict zone;
– political-legal assessment of events of 1989-92 and 2004 years;
– development and adoption of a law on restitution by Georgia;
– the sides are committed not to build up their offensive potential and not to use armed forces in the zone of conflict.

In order to start working over the mentioned joint program the South Ossetian leader offered to hold a meeting of authorized representatives of the sides within the frames of the JCC with the participation of OSCE not late than 15 February 2006.

Eduard Kokoity also suggested to submit the agreed draft program to the working group for approval by 1 March 2006.

The South Ossetian leader stressed that such a joint program could become a basis for discussion during the talks among the heads of the participating states.