Russia Proposes OSCE Civil Police for ‘Security Zone’

Russia has submitted a draft resolution to the OSCE Permanent Council calling for the introduction of a civilian police operation in Georgia under the organization’s aegis.

According to the draft resolution, Russia is proposing the deployment of civilian police in the so-called “security zone” adjacent to South Ossetia – an area in Georgia proper, currently occupied by Russian forces, between the South Ossetian administrative border and the key east-west highway.

According to the draft resolution, the civilian police should supplement OSCE military monitoring officers. The OSCE Permanent Council, which is the organization’s main decision-making body, approved on August 19 a proposal to immediately send 20 monitors to the areas adjacent to South Ossetia; talks are underway on the modalities of the deployment of another 80 monitors.

Currently, unarmed OSCE military monitors are observing the situation on the key east-west highway and adjacent areas. They are, however, prevented from entering South Ossetia itself.

Only on September 4 OSCE monitors were able to monitor for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict the road from the village of Karaleti to Megvrekisi, deep inside the Russian-occupied security zone.

Karaleti and Megvrekisi is both on the Georgian proper; the first one is about seven kilometers away from the town of Gori and the latter is about four kilometers away from Tskhinvali, the capital of breakaway South Ossetia.

“Access to the area has been a focus for the OSCE and international partners, and we welcome this important step,” Ambassador Terhi Hakala, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, said in a statement issued by the OSCE press office in the evening on September 4.

The Russian draft resolution also calls on the OSCE Finnish chairmanship to immediately propose the modalities, duration and mandate of the civil police operation.

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