JCC Meeting Scheduled in Moscow

Both the Georgian and South Ossetian sides confirmed that a meeting of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC), involving Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and North Ossetian representatives, is scheduled to be held in Moscow on September 30.

?The withdrawal of illegal armed groups from the conflict zone, stabilization of the situation in the conflict zone, as well as the possibility of holding a meeting between high level officials in the frames of the JCC is planned to be discussed during the talks,? Boris Chochiev, the South Ossetian Special Affairs Minister who represents the South Ossetian side at the JCC, told RIA Novosti news agency on September 23.

The lastest talks between representatives of the JCC, which oversees the implemention of the 1992 cease-fire agreement in the region, were held on August 18 against a backdrop of armed clashes between the Georgian and South Ossetian forces.

Boris Chochiev also said that the approval of a new commander of the joint ? Russian-Georgian-Ossetian ? peacekeeping force is also scheduled for the forthcoming JCC meeting in Moscow. The Russian side recently replaced the chief of the peacekeepers Sviatoslav Nabzdorov with Maj.Gen. Murat Kulakhmetov.

Boris Chochiev said that the South Ossetian side intends to express its protest at the JCC meeting over ?violations which the Georgian side commit while rotating its peacekeepers? in the conflict zone.

?The Georgian side has rotated peacekeepers four times already since May 31. According to the agreement, the rotation should be carried out once every six months. At the same time, the Georgian side does not provide a list of servicemen dispatched in the conflict zone as peacekeepers,? Chochiev added.

?It is our opinion that Georgia rotates its troops in the conflict zone so often because it lets more servicemen famaliarize themselves with the area and get ready for military action,? the South Ossetian representative said.