Georgian Foreign Minister to Address OSCE over South Ossetia

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili will address the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on July 29 over the situation in Georgia?s breakaway South Ossetian region.

Georgian officials say that Salome Zourabichvili will urge OSCE?s to increase its role in resolving the conflict in South Ossetia.  Georgian officials envisage monitoring of the Roki Pass and the Java district in the breakaway region by OSCE observers.

Georgia accuses Russia of delivering arms to the separatist South Ossetia via the tunnel at Roki Pass, while the Java district in the northern part of South Ossetia serves as the main stronghold for South Ossetian militia groups.

Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zhelyu Zhelev visited Georgia?s breakaway South Ossetia on July 27 and held talks with the authorities of the self-styled republic in the capital Tskhinvali. He held talks with the Georgian leadership as well in Tbilisi on July 26.

The OSCE special envoy called on the conflicting sides to resolve disputes through dialogue. He said the primary task is to withdraw weapons from the conflict zone in order to avoid a renewal of an armed conflict.