OSCE to Discuss Missile Incident

The OSCE Permanent Council will discuss the August 6 missile incident in Georgia at a session on September 6, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, said at a news conference in Tbilisi on September 4.

Minister Moratinos said that Miomir Zuzul, whom he appointed as his personal envoy to look into the details of the incident, would present a report on the issue at the session. Zuzul, an ex-Croatian foreign minister, will elaborate upon his findings after visiting both Tbilisi and Moscow last month.

Minister Moratinos said that ?certain conclusions? would be made after the report is unveiled at the Permanent Council. He said that it would be ?a very objective report?, reflecting the views of all parties concerned.

Commentators, however, have already dismissed the impending report, suggesting it would be less than conclusive and would fail to point the finger at Russia – something Tbilisi wants to see.

?If he [the OSCE chairman] wants to give a reasonable response [to the August 6 incident], this is good. But if he plans to put the brakes on the issue, then things will stay like this – he will be just the man who puts the brakes on, and we will remain a country which has been damaged by Russia,? Kote Gabashvili, a senior Georgian lawmaker, told journalists on September 4.

Moratinos also said that the OSCE would continue its efforts aimed at improving bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia.

?You can be sure and I tried to assure everyone whom I met here that the OSCE would do its best to settle the situation, of course, in the frames of its mandate,? Moratinos said. ?We understand very well that the improvement of relations with Russia is a very important issue.?

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office arrived in Tbilisi a few days after visiting Moscow. He said that the August 6 missile incident was also high on the agenda during his talks with Russian officials.

?The Russians said that they wanted to have very good relations with Georgia and that they wanted to overcome this crisis and any misunderstanding with Georgia,? Moratinos said. He added the the Russian position was that a bilateral track was the best way to improve ties between Russia and Georgia without any international involvement.

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