Georgian Authorities Apply to International Community for Assistance
The agreement over a ceasefire, reached by the Georgian and South Ossetian sides on August 13 after three nights of gun and mortar fire in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia, was violated by dawn on August 14. One Georgian peacekeeper was wounded by a sniper’s bullet in the breakaway region.
The agreement, which called for the cease-fire to take effect at midnight Friday, was signed by Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokeov.
Despite the efforts of the Georgian authorities to calm the situation in the Tskhinvali region the situation continues to deteriorate. Within the past three days ethnic Georgian villages came under severe fire and three Georgian peacekeepers died and at least six persons, including local residents, were wounded during shootings; the Georgian Prime Minister’s convoy was attacked and the Parliamentary Chairperson was barred from entering the breakaway region and the peaceful population, primarily women and children, are leaving the conflict area.
In the wake of these developments the Georgian Parliament passed a statement on August 13 demanding the pullout of the Russian peacekeepers in the conflict area. In the strong-worded statement the Parliament demanded the suspension of Russia’s peacekeepers’ mandate and their replacement by international peacekeeping troops.
“In fact, the Russian Federation does not represent peacekeepers or mediators. It represents one of the conflicting parties that is doing everything in its power to maintain this dangerous status quo. It is alarming when everything occurs in the conflict area through direct support of the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed there,” the statement reads.
Until now neither official Moscow nor Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador for Special Affairs Lev Mironov, who arrived in Tbilisi late on August 12 to discuss South Ossetian conflict resolution issues with the Georgian leadership, have made any comments.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili also raised concern over the recent developments in breakaway South Ossetia and vowed to avoid ethnic cleansing in the region.
“We will not allow our territory to pass into the hands of criminals. We will never allow for ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population or a humanitarian catastrophe in breakaway South Ossetia,” Saakashvili said before a session of the National Security Council on August 13.
He also said that the situation in the conflict area is difficult, but not so alarming. “The situation will stay difficult there while we struggle for reunification of Georgia,” the President added.
He promised to return the Georgian children, who left the region following the intensive shootouts, to their homes prior to the beginning of the new academic year.
The Georgian authorities have already vowed to protect the children and provide normal shelters for them until the tensions relax in the breakaway region.
“We are also ready to assist the Ossetian population and give shelter to them,” Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said on August 13. Earlier on the same day she was barred from entering the Tskhinvali region.
“The Ossetian side is categorically against my entering the Tskhinvali region. I simply want to pass via Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia] and meet with the Georgian population of the breakaway region,” Nino Burjanadze said at the Tkviavi administrative border between breakaway South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia. She also condemned the attack upon Zurab Zhvania’s convoy and called it ‘alarming’.
“This is the position of the South Ossetian separatists and their supporters towards our peacekeeping operation,” the Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said following the incident, which saw the South Ossetian side opening fire at his convoy on the road between the Georgian villages of Eredvi and Achabeti in breakaway South Ossetia.
President Saakashvili has already discussed the recent developments in breakaway South Ossetia during a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. On August 13 he met with the U.S. Ambassador to OSCE Stephan Minikes and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles. Both Ambassadors pledged support for a peaceful solution of the conflict.
“As soon as I return to Vienna, I will raise the issue of increasing the number of OSCE observers in the South Ossetian conflict area. However, the support of all 54 ambassadors of the OSCE member states is necessary for a positive outcome,” Stephan Minikes told reporters after the talks.
Earlier in August the OSCE Permanent Council made a decision over increasing the number of military observers for the OSCE Mission in Georgia from 4 to 6 officers.
In a statement passed on August 13, the Parliament of Georgia applied to international organizations for their active involvement in the resolution of the conflict.
“Due to the recent crisis, the Parliament applies to the international community to become actively involved in conflict resolution, to use legal and political mechanisms to avoid further deterioration of the situation in Georgia, to assist the Georgian authorities to peacefully settle the conflict,” the statement reads.
The U.S. Department of State and the OSCE have already raised concern over the recent developments in the South Ossetian conflict area and called on the conflicting sides to move quickly to avoid further escalations in the region.
“In order to stimulate the political process, I already proposed to organize high-level political negotiations in Sofia. Now, I reiterate this invitation and want to stress that a long-lasting settlement of the conflict may only be achieved through serious dialogue involving high-level decision-makers,” OSCE Chairman-in-Office Solomon Passy said on August 13.
Talks are also being held with the Russian side. The Russian governmental delegation, led by Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador for Special Affairs Lev Mironov, arrived in Georgia on August 12 to negotiate with the South Ossetian and Georgian sides in Tskhinvali.
The Russian delegation arrived in Georgia following a demand by the Georgian Prime Minister to launch direct dialogues with the de facto authorities of South Ossetia, as well as top officials of Russia.
Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolutions Goga Khaindrava admitted on August 14 that the talks between Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokoev may be held on August 15.
This issue will top the agenda of the session of the Joint Control Commission later on August 14.