Tbilisi, Tskhinvali Fail to Agree on Terms of Informal JCC Session

An informal session of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) scheduled for February 28-March 2 in Istanbul will not be held, as parties have failed to agree on the terms of the meeting, the Russian chief negotiator said.

In a letter sent to the Georgian side on February 21, Russian diplomat Yuri Popov said that he considered it ?inexpedient? to hold an informal session in Istanbul ?because of the absence of an agreement between the sides.?

The South Ossetian side said on February 14 that it was ready to participate in an informal meeting of the JCC in Istanbul if at the meeting the sides would negotiate a date, venue and agenda of the next plenary session of the JCC. The Georgian side, which is trying to lower the profile of the JCC, wants an informal ?information session,? and is refraining from participating in a plenary session.

?The Georgian side expresses deep regret over the thwarting of an informal meeting of the co-chairmen in Istanbul, but still expresses readiness for a constructive dialogue,? a statement issued by the Georgian State Minister?s Office on February 22 reads.

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