JCC Meeting Starts in Moscow

A meeting of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC), involving Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and North Ossetian representatives, started in Moscow on September 30.

The issues of withdrawal of illegal armed groups from the conflict area, stabilization of the situation, as well as the possibility of holding a meeting between South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokoev and Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania within the frames of the JCC are all on the agenda of the talks.

The last 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.

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolutions Goga Khaindrava, who represents the Georgian side at the JCC, is also participating in the meeting.

The Russian side is represented by Valerie Kenyaikin, Russian Foreign Ministry?s Special Ambassador, while the South Ossetian side by Boris Chochiev, the South Ossetian Special Affairs Minister.