JCC Focused on Security Issues in South Ossetian Conflict Zone
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| JCC co-chairs during meeting in Tbilisi in August. |
The sides signed a protocol, which commits the parties involved to make all the changes in the peacekeeping troops deployed in the conflict area only with mutual prior notification. The sides also agreed to make up a scheme of mined fields and work over the supply of power to the region during the winter period.
According to the information note issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on October 4, the sides vowed to register the personnel of the joint peacekeeping troops deployed in the conflict area before October 15.
The Georgian, Ossetian and Russian sides have 500 peacekeepers each in the conflict zone, as envisaged by the 1992 ceasefire agreement. Recently the South Ossetian de facto authorities have numerously expressed protest over “violations which the Georgian side commits while rotating its peacekeepers.” Tskhinvali claims that the Georgian side rotates its peacekeepers very frequently without preliminary notification, which leads to mobilization of extra troops in the conflict zone. According to the signed protocol, until October 20 the sides should also specify exact number and location of the peacekeepers’ checkpoints deployed in the conflict zone.
These measures are thought to help the OSCE military observers, as well as the joint peacekeeping troops to identify unauthorized armed groups in the area.
The sides also expressed readiness to organize face-to-face top-level talks between Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokoev. However, the signed protocol does not specify the venue or date of the meeting.
The conflicting sides also agreed over holding a top-level meeting within the frames of the Joint Control Commission with possible participation of Foreign Ministers. This kind of meeting was initiated by OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, who has offered the sides to meet in Bulgarian capital Sofia.
On October 1 the Georgian representative at the JCC, State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava, proposed expansion of area of responsibility of the joint peacekeeping forces and OSCE military observers. But the issue was categorically rejected by the South Ossetian side.
Currently, the “zone of conflict” is interpreted to include only so called “security corridor” as defined by 1996 agreement, meaning the territory in 15-kilometer radius of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali. As a result, the peacekeepers essentially serve as a separation force between the ethnically Georgian and ethically Ossetian villages of South Ossetia. The Java district and the Roki tunnel, to the North of republic, are beyond control. Georgian side claims that in recent escalation the tunnel was used to funnel the “armed volunteers” to South Ossetia, while Java district was used as a training camp.
“We insist that the joint peacekeeping forces, which involve the Georgian, Russian and Ossetian troops, could operate on entire territory of South Ossetia,” Georgian State Minister Goga Khaindrava said.
According to Irakli Antadze, an aide to the Georgian State Minister, who also participated in the JCC meeting, the issue of increase of number of OSCE observers from current 5 to 10 was also discussed in Moscow. He said the South Ossetian side is not against this initiative; however the final protocol of the meeting did not reflect this proposal. “We will agree over this issue during the next meeting,” Irakli Antadze told Civil Georgia.
State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava told Civil Georgia, that the achieved agreement also envisages conduct of mine-clearing operations in the breakaway region and submitting scheme of mine fields, as well as provision of a safe movement in the conflict zone.
According to Goga Khaindrava, the issue of power supplies to the region during winter period, as well as publishing of an information bulletin regarding the work of the Joint Control Commission, was also discussed during the Moscow talks.
The Joint Control Commission also approved Maj.Gen. Murat Kulakhmetov on the post of commander of the joint peacekeeping force. He replaced Sviatoslav Nabzdorov on this position in September.