Tbilisi, Tskhinvali Agree to Jointly Tackle Water Shortage

Tbilisi and Tskhinvali have agreed to cooperate on resolving water supply problems in the region, officials from both sides confirmed on August 1.

State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Davit Bakradze said he had a telephone conversation with the chief South Ossetian negotiator, Boris Chochiev, on the issue.

He said an agreement had been reached to jointly monitor a water pipeline running from Java in the north to Tskhinvali through Georgian-administered villages.

?A joint group of specialists will inspect the pipeline, including in the Java district,? Bakradze said.

Until now the South Ossetian side was against allowing Georgian representatives into the Java district, as it is outside the officially designated conflict zone ? a 15-kilometer radius around Tskhinvali.

?Such cooperation will only help to resolve problems on the ground,? Bakradze told Mze TV on August 1.

Meanwhile, Boris Chochiev said in a comment posted on the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee website, that an agreement had been reached to jointly repair a damaged pipeline in the Georgian-administered section.

?South Ossetian specialists will be allowed to work on the Tamarasheni-Kekhvi section of the pipeline,? Chochiev said.

Although he did not say anything about joint monitoring in the Java district, Chochiev pointed out that work would be continued ?on other sections? if the initial repairs failed to produce results.

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