In a statement released Saturday by the organization's Vienna-headquartered Secretariat, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy points out that the use of military force in the conflict zone, which results in the loss of civilian lives, must be vigorously denounced by the international community. He goes on to call for decisive measures to have the conflict resolved.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office believes that the presence in the conflict zone of illegal paramilitary units and militia is the main obstacle preventing the sides from alleviating tensions in the region and achieving reconciliation.
Mr. Passy recommends that the conflicting sides sit down to the negotiating table and work out efficient measures to prevent further clashes, armed or otherwise. Earlier, he suggested holding high-level negotiations in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia so as to encourage a political process in the Georgia-Ossetia conflict zone. In his most recent statement, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office reiterates his invitation for senior Georgian and Ossetian officials to come to Sofia for talks, underlining that the long-running standoff will be possible to resolve only through dialogue between the conflicting sides, in conjunction with major decision makers.
Georgia's central government regards South Ossetia as a renegade province. The conflict between Georgian and Ossetian authorities erupted in 1989-1992, when Georgia stripped Ossetia of autonomy status. Ossetia responded by proclaiming its independence and Georgia then launched tough measures to cut the breakaway republic down to size. From 1992 until recently, the situation in the region was stable, thanks primarily to the peacekeeping force deployed here and to the Joint Control Commission, grouping officials from Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia, and North Ossetia (a constituent republic of the Russian Federation). The conflict boiled over again after Mikhail Saakashvili had won the Georgian presidency.
