Tbilisi Seeks Expansion of OSCE Mandate in Georgia

After talks with a group of visiting ambassadors accredited in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said on September 6, that Georgia is seeking OSCE?s broader mandate in Georgia.

?Georgia welcomes the OSCE?s border monitoring mission at the Russo-Georgian border and we will hail continuation of this operation. We also insist on monitoring of the Roki pass [linking Russia North Ossetian Republic with Georgia?s breakaway South Ossetia] to eradicate smuggling and illegal movement on this section of the border,? Nino Burjanadze told reporters after the talks.

The OSCE ambassadors arrived in Georgia on September 5. The visit was agreed during the special session of the OSCE Permanent Council convened on August 18 to discuss the situation in breakaway South Ossetia.

The OSCE delegation will also hold talks with Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and President Saakashvili.

During the visit the OSCE delegation will visit capitals of Georgia?s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and hold talks with the Georgian leadership.

The delegation will also pay a brief visit to those sections of the Russo-Georgian border, which are monitored by the OSCE observers. Border monitoring mission was launched by the OSCE in 1999 and includes Ingush, Chechen and Daghestani sections of the Russian-Georgian state border.