‘Goodbye Kokoity’ Campaign

A massive public campaign will be launched to make South Ossetian secessionist leader Eduard Kokoity quit, Vladimir Sanakoev, a spokesman for the Tbilisi-backed South Ossetian provisional administration, said on July 23.

He said a peaceful campaign under the name Kokoity Fandarast, meaning Godspeed in Ossetian, will be carried out by the People of South Ossetia for Peace movement – an organization set up by Dimitri Sanakoev in March before he was appointed head of the provisional administration.

“Kokoity and his regime is the major obstacle for peace in the region. Today is the start of actions designed to deliver a message to Kokoity that he must quit,” Vladimir Sanakoev said.

Announcement comes after a conference of Ossetian community which was held in the Georgian-administered Tamarasheni village in the conflict zone on July 22.

Vladimir Sanakoev said the conference had demonstrated that the campaign would have strong support from ethnic Ossetians in Georgia, as well as the residents of South Ossetia.

The proposed campaign is in line with comments made by President Saakashvili’s in early July. He said that “people power,” involving giving voice to ordinary people, could be the key to resolving the South Ossetian conflict.

Kokoity, meanwhile, told his government colleagues Tskhinvali on July 23 that Georgia was “a neighboring state, which poses a threat to peace and stability.”

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