U.S. Diplomat Cautiously Warns on Human Rights Conditions

U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Julie Finley said on March 23 that despite the fact that Georgian authorities remain committed to democratic development there are circumstances that cause concern.

The U.S. diplomat was speaking in a response the report delivered to the OSCE Permanent Council by OSCE Head of Mission in Georgia, Ambassador Roy Reeve, who briefed the OSCE member states about the current developments in Georgia.

“It seems clear from Ambassador Reeve’s report that the [Georgian] Government and Parliament remain committed to democratic development and are open to the advice and active support of international friends. We also note Ambassador Reeve’s observations on human rights, media freedoms, due process, independence of the judiciary, and penal conditions in Georgia, where there are circumstances that cause us concern,” Julie Finley stated.

“Democracy is always a “work in progress,” and the United States agrees that a systematic approach to acting on criticisms helps insure that Georgia will meet the goal it sets for itself – that is, full integration into the Euro-Atlantic family of nations,” she added.