The EU is making arrangements to send a team of civilian monitors to Georgia to monitor the country's adherence to the Medvedev-Sarkozy ceasefire deal after a brief conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Western nations have strongly criticized Russia for its response to Georgia's attack and the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, with several international bodies expressing the desire to send observers to breakaway regions as well.
"As to the presence of observers, South Ossetia, as an independent state recognized by Russia will discuss the issue with each international organization separately, if we receive official requests," Murat Dzhioyev said. "However, we have not received any such requests so far."
The diplomat also said South Ossetia is strictly against the replacement of Russian peacekeepers on its territory with any international policing force.
"There is no need to replace Russian peacekeepers, especially knowing that the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe can easily deploy their peacekeepers in the Georgian part of the buffer zone," Dzhioyev said.
"Both the EU and the OSCE could exercise their policing there. We do not need them," he added.
