U.S. Concerned over Renewed Tensions in Georgia

The United States is concerned about renewed tensions in the conflict regions of Georgia and is calling on all parties ?to continue showing restraint while refraining from words or actions that could worsen the situation on the ground,? a statement released by the U.S. Mission to the OSCE on August 11 reads.

The statement, which dealt with Georgia?s breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, said the government recently conducted a police operation in Kodori Gorge with the aim of eliminating a rebellious militia that is engaged in criminal activity and destabilizing the region.

?Enforcing rule of law is critical to the peaceful resolution of the conflict and is both a sovereign right and an obligation of the Georgian Government,? the U.S. statement said.

The U.S. Mission to the OSCE welcomed the confidence-building measures undertaken by the Georgian government during the police action, including maintaining close contact with the Abkhaz de facto authorities, renouncing the further use of force, and beginning an orderly withdrawal of forces.

?We call on the Government of Georgia and the Abkhaz de facto authorities to abide by the 1994 ceasefire agreement and all relevant agreements pertaining to Georgia’s Abkhazia region. The United States supports demilitarizing the Kodori Valley… We urge the two parties to return promptly to the Coordination Council to resume discussions of a peaceful end to the conflict,? the statement reads.

Citing press reports of Russian officers and private volunteers from the North Caucasus entering Abkhazia, the statement said that the 1994 cease-fire agreement requires that all volunteer formations from beyond the frontiers of Abkhazia be disbanded and withdrawn.

?These reports combined with continued lawlessness throughout the conflict zone underscore the immediate need for international civilian police force in Georgia’s Abkhazia region,? the statement reads.

The August 11 statement also addressed tensions in breakaway South Ossetia, condemning the recent shooting of three Georgian policemen at a checkpoint and expressing concern at reports that OSCE monitors have discovered South Ossetian trenches dug near the village of Tbeti in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
 
?These incidents underscore the need for international monitoring of the Roki Tunnel, a permanent checkpoint at Didi Gupta, and an increase in the number of OSCE monitors in Georgia’s South Ossetia region, with adequate protections for these monitors,? the statement reads.

In a statement the U.S. Mission to the OSCE renewed its call for ?meaningful progress? on the peace plan endorsed by the OSCE Ministerial Council for South Ossetia, and the Georgian roadmap for peace in Abkhazia.

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