Georgian Foreign Minister Addresses OSCE

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili called for an international conference on the Georgian-Ossetian conflict while addressing a special session of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on August 18.

“The situation is complex, tense and paradoxical,” she told a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, convened by the OSCE’s Bulgarian Chairmanship during the summer recess in order to discuss the situation in breakaway South Ossetia, the OSCE?s press office reported.

The Minister said that although there had been a clear escalation in violence on the ground, including civilian casualties, the situation was still controllable and manageable. 

She also said the OSCE should be fully involved in efforts to find a peaceful and lasting solution. Salome Zourabichvili called for an increase in the number of OSCE monitors on the ground.

The Chairman of the Permanent Council, Bulgarian Ambassador Ivo Petrov, said that ?the OSCE participating States will consider this suggestion [over holding international conference over South Ossetia] carefully, but the most important thing at the moment is to get a ceasefire.?

On August 18 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced Georgia?s initiative, saying there is no need to hold an international conference.