Georgian PM Addresses OSCE over South Ossetia

In a speech delivered at a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on March 27 Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli called for a joint Georgian-Ossetian policing presence in the South Ossetian conflict zone and reiterated a readiness to hold a meeting with South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity, the OSCE press office reported.
 
He lauded the OSCE’s involvement in initiatives aimed at achieving lasting solutions to the frozen conflicts in Georgia.

“Threats posed to Georgia’s territorial integrity are no longer simply threats to Georgia’s national security… Threats to Georgia’s statehood and democracy represent threats to us all,” he said.

“That is why they must be addressed in a co-operative and coordinated manner. Georgia stands ready to work with our Russian counterparts to address these issues,” he stressed.

He said that a joint policing presence “will lead to a direct improvement in the security situation” in the conflict zone.

He also welcomed an OSCE suggestion to establish a checkpoint at Gupta, the northern edge of the conflict zone, and noted that the OSCE had recorded violations, including the movement of heavy weapons.

“Most troubling is the fact that OSCE monitors are regularly denied access to critical inspection areas by the peacekeepers, allowing the violations to go unchallenged. These moves against peace must stop – and the OSCE must be allowed full access in order to monitor events, and improve the security environment,” he said.
 
PM Nogaideli also said that Georgia is looking forward to an OSCE-sponsored donor’s conference for South Ossetia, set for May.

“The inhabitants of South Ossetia continue to live in unacceptable conditions of poverty and deprivation amid a climate of everyday fear. As a result of the OSCE’s assessment, we are now in a position to finally address the critical infrastructure and social rehabilitation needs of the region,” PM Nogaideli stated.