State Minister: Spain to Provide Expertise on S.Ossetia Status

Spain will send a group of experts to provide expertise to the Georgian state commission in defining South Ossetia?s autonomous status, Davit Bakradze, the state minister for conflict resolution issues, said on September 4.

He said that an agreement had been reached during his meeting with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in Tbilisi on September 4. The latter also holds the OSCE?s rotating chairmanship.

Georgia set up the state commission, chaired by PM Zurab Nogaideli, to develop South Ossetia?s broad autonomy within the Georgian state, in July. Georgia has also called on its western partners and the EU to be involved in this process of defining the status. Peter Semneby, the EU?s special envoy for the South Caucasus, said in July that the EU was ready to provide legal expertise.

?Spain?s involvement is of special importance for us, because Spain is one of the best examples in Europe of providing broad autonomy to regions while maintaining the state?s unity,? Davit Bakradze said after the talks with Minister Moratinos.

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