EU Backs the Georgian Position in a Carefully-worded Declaration on S.Ossetia

The EU Presidency, in its declaration on behalf of the European Union, has supported talks between the international actors – including the EU and OSCE member-states – on additional mechanisms for settlement of the South Ossetian conflict. This declaration serves as a formal response by the EU to the Georgian Parliament’s February 15 resolution.

The carefully-worded declaration points out a need for “constructive exchange of views” between “interested international actors in the region, including EU and OSCE Member States, on possible additional efforts contributing to peaceful settlement mechanisms in South Ossetia.”

It also points out the “need to increase the effectiveness of the negotiating mechanisms” and says the effectiveness of the Joint Controll Commission (JCC) has to be measured by the degree of implementation of the previous agreements, especially on de-militarisation.

This position supports the Georgian drive to encourage increased international participation and to revise the current JCC format of talks. It also goes against the grain of the Russian position, which sees the JCC in its current form as the only effective negotiating format.

Furthermore, the EU declaration expressess support for the peace plan advanced by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili at the UN General Assembly and links this to the decisions of the OSCE Ministerial in Ljubljana. The Russian MFA has denied that the OSCE Ministerial’s decision endorsed Saakashvili’s peace plan.

The EU also “deeply regrets” the cancellation of the high-level JCC meeting as scheduled to take place in Vienna (20-21 February), which was boycotted by Russia. the Declaration makes no mention of the February 20 JCC co-chairmen session in Moscow, which the Georgian side and the OSCE observers were absent from.