Georgian Negotiator Comments on Thwarted JCC Session

A session of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission, which was scheduled for January 18-20, will not be held, Georgian State Minister Giorgi Khaindrava said in an interview with RIA Novosti news agency on January 16.

The South Ossetian side rejected the Georgian side?s proposal to hold the session in the Georgian capital Tbilisi – citing security reasons – and instead offered to hold the session in Russia?s North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz.

Khaindrava downplayed the South Ossetian delegation?s security concerns as ?groundless? and said that ?it was just an attempt to drag-out? the negotiation process.

He said that the Georgian side was not against holding a JCC session in Vladikavkaz, but it was impossible because of technical problems. He said that roads are blocked due to heavy snow and it would be impossible to reach Vladikavkaz by car. ?There is no direct flight to Vladikavkaz from Tbilisi, hence we have to get there via Moscow. But we need visas to get to Moscow. That is why we offered to hold the session in Tbilisi,? Khaindrava said.

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