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GEORGIA PROMOTES ITS MAN IN SOUTH OSSETIA
A1+
[01:50 pm] 30 June, 2007
"Alternative" South Ossetian leader addresses parliamentarians
in Brussels By Dmitry Avaliani in Tbilisi (CRS No. 398 28-Jun-07)
"Europe always remained a faraway dream for us, especially during the
years of grave armed confrontation," Dmitry Sanakoyev told a meeting
at the European Parliament last week.
"Georgia is returning to Europe, which has always been its natural
milieu. Together with Georgia, my homeland South Ossetia should return
to Europe, too."
This speech by Sanakoyev, the man the Georgian government has
designated the head of "the provisional administration in South
Ossetia", was the latest step in a campaign to gain legitimacy for
the newest player in a dispute over the breakaway republic that dates
back to 1990.
Sanakoyev is a former defence minister and prime minister in South
Ossetia's unrecognised administration, but is now a firm ally of the
Georgian government, which wants to restore control over the territory.
After winning an "alternative" presidential election in South Ossetia,
Sanakoyev set himself up in opposition to Eduard Kokoity, the leader
of the breakaway region. He is based in Kurta, an ethnic Georgian
village a few kilometres down the road from the capital Tskhinvali.
On June 26, Sanakoyev attended a meeting of the Georgia-Europe
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Brussels, at the invitation
of committee chairs Marie-Anne Isler-Beguin, a Euro MP, and David
Bakradze, head of the Georgian parliament's committee for European
integration. Sanakoyev addressed the parliamentarians in the Ossetian
language for 15 minutes.
Sanakoyev says he sees the Ossetians' future as part of a united,
democratic and stable Georgia in which minority rights are protected.
"There's only one solution - to ensure a direct dialogue between the
Georgian and Ossetian peoples, to neutralise external and internal
destructive forces and replace them with the international democratic
community's healthy and effective support," Sanakoyev said in Brussels.
Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili appointed Sanakoyev as
head of the "interim administration" in May, and is now urging the
international community to recognise the new position.
Saakashvili recently predicted that the South Ossetia dispute was
heading for resolution, with Sanakoyev the key to a peaceful outcome.
"Kokoity's presidency is drawing to a close, and we will solve all
the problems once and for all within a few months, showing to the
world the way interethnic conflicts should be handled," he told
journalists in Baku on June 19, after a summit of the Democracy and
Economic Development Organisation of GUAM, a grouping of regional
states including Georgia.
Saakashvili said there were no problems between the Ossetian and
Georgian peoples, and that the obstacles that existed were "created
by criminal structures".
The de facto authorities in Tskhinvali rejected this out of hand,
sticking to their line that South Ossetia seceded from Georgia in the
early Nineties and now wants fully recognised independence. They call
Sanakoyev a "puppet" who has no public backing.
The de facto foreign ministry of South Ossetia said Sanakoyev's
visit to Brussels was part of a "propaganda operation founded on
the illusions of the Georgian leadership that the Georgian-Ossetian
conflict can be resolved by its puppets, excluding the Republic of
South Ossetia... and ignoring the will of its citizens".
The Russian foreign ministry also released a statement which ruled
out contact with Sanakoyev. "In Moscow, people understand where the
power really lies in South Ossetia, and whom the overwhelming majority
of the population really supports," it said.
Tensions have been running high in the conflict zone in the last
month. On June 27, Russian peacekeepers blocked a Georgian operation
to build a road between the villages of Nikozi and Avnevi, avoiding
several Ossetian villages. The troops placed several armoured vehicles
across the road to stop construction machinery driving past.
On the same day, residents of the Georgian village of Nikozi blocked
the main highway, demanding the restoration of their drinking water
supplies. The South Ossetian authorities in Tskhinvali had shut off
water supplies to the area after saying their own water supplies were
blocked by Tbilisi.
The water dispute has continued with recriminations and accusations -
and the occasional agreement - for several weeks.
Georgian experts are generally positive about the Sanakoyev phenomenon,
although they do not expect him to get international recognition any
time soon.
"Sanakoyev's visit to Brussels is the right move," said political
analyst Paata Zakareishvili, a member of the opposition Republican
Party. "One point to be noted is that this visit is not any initiative
by western organisations. He just took part in the Georgia-EU dialogue
in the capacity of a member of the Georgian delegation."
Archil Gegeshidze of the Strategic and International Studies Foundation
told IWPR that the final goal must be the peaceful reintegration of
South Ossetia into Georgia.
In order to achieve this, he said, the Georgian authorities should
take three factors into account.
First of all, efforts must be made to secure local legitimacy for
Sanakoyev by ensuring that his administration has broad public support
in South Ossetia. "The support Sanakoyev currently enjoys is mainly
among the region's Georgian population," he said. "It is essential
that his administration is recognised by the entire population. That
is a long process, which I hope will conclude successfully."
Gegeshidze said the Georgians needed to work hard to secure success for
their strategy with many different partners. "The Georgian authorities
need a serious, well-coordinated strategy of actions both within the
region and in the diplomatic arena," said Gegeshidze.
Magdalena Frichova, Caucasus project director with the International
Crisis Group, which recently produced a report entitled "Georgia's
South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly", sounded a more cautious
note. She told IWPR that the Georgians risked creating increased
tensions by trying to force the pace of change in the peace process.
"Georgia's desire to change the dynamics in the conflict resolution
process by non-violent and development-oriented means is positive,
but the determination to solve the conflict on its own terms only and
perhaps too quickly could backfire and lead to a dangerous rise in
tensions - as the events over the last couple of months indicate,"
said Frichova.
"At the same time Tbilisi should consider carefully to what degree
Sanakoyev is now representative of the wider Ossetian constituency,"
she said. "Tbilisi promotes him as someone who expresses the views
of the Ossetian public, but for most Ossetians in the conflict zone,
that is not the case. For many in Tskhinvali-controlled areas, it
is not a given that Sanakoyev could genuinely be an advocate for
their interests"
"The Georgian government should engage with all actors, and negotiate
not just with those who agree with Tbilisi's position but primarily
with those who don't."
Dmitry Avaliani is a journalist with 24 Hours newspaper in Tbilisi
and a member of IWPR's EU-funded Cross-Caucasus Journalism Network
project. Institute for War and Peace Reporting's Caucasus Reporting
Service
A1+
[01:50 pm] 30 June, 2007
"Alternative" South Ossetian leader addresses parliamentarians
in Brussels By Dmitry Avaliani in Tbilisi (CRS No. 398 28-Jun-07)
"Europe always remained a faraway dream for us, especially during the
years of grave armed confrontation," Dmitry Sanakoyev told a meeting
at the European Parliament last week.
"Georgia is returning to Europe, which has always been its natural
milieu. Together with Georgia, my homeland South Ossetia should return
to Europe, too."
This speech by Sanakoyev, the man the Georgian government has
designated the head of "the provisional administration in South
Ossetia", was the latest step in a campaign to gain legitimacy for
the newest player in a dispute over the breakaway republic that dates
back to 1990.
Sanakoyev is a former defence minister and prime minister in South
Ossetia's unrecognised administration, but is now a firm ally of the
Georgian government, which wants to restore control over the territory.
After winning an "alternative" presidential election in South Ossetia,
Sanakoyev set himself up in opposition to Eduard Kokoity, the leader
of the breakaway region. He is based in Kurta, an ethnic Georgian
village a few kilometres down the road from the capital Tskhinvali.
On June 26, Sanakoyev attended a meeting of the Georgia-Europe
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Brussels, at the invitation
of committee chairs Marie-Anne Isler-Beguin, a Euro MP, and David
Bakradze, head of the Georgian parliament's committee for European
integration. Sanakoyev addressed the parliamentarians in the Ossetian
language for 15 minutes.
Sanakoyev says he sees the Ossetians' future as part of a united,
democratic and stable Georgia in which minority rights are protected.
"There's only one solution - to ensure a direct dialogue between the
Georgian and Ossetian peoples, to neutralise external and internal
destructive forces and replace them with the international democratic
community's healthy and effective support," Sanakoyev said in Brussels.
Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili appointed Sanakoyev as
head of the "interim administration" in May, and is now urging the
international community to recognise the new position.
Saakashvili recently predicted that the South Ossetia dispute was
heading for resolution, with Sanakoyev the key to a peaceful outcome.
"Kokoity's presidency is drawing to a close, and we will solve all
the problems once and for all within a few months, showing to the
world the way interethnic conflicts should be handled," he told
journalists in Baku on June 19, after a summit of the Democracy and
Economic Development Organisation of GUAM, a grouping of regional
states including Georgia.
Saakashvili said there were no problems between the Ossetian and
Georgian peoples, and that the obstacles that existed were "created
by criminal structures".
The de facto authorities in Tskhinvali rejected this out of hand,
sticking to their line that South Ossetia seceded from Georgia in the
early Nineties and now wants fully recognised independence. They call
Sanakoyev a "puppet" who has no public backing.
The de facto foreign ministry of South Ossetia said Sanakoyev's
visit to Brussels was part of a "propaganda operation founded on
the illusions of the Georgian leadership that the Georgian-Ossetian
conflict can be resolved by its puppets, excluding the Republic of
South Ossetia... and ignoring the will of its citizens".
The Russian foreign ministry also released a statement which ruled
out contact with Sanakoyev. "In Moscow, people understand where the
power really lies in South Ossetia, and whom the overwhelming majority
of the population really supports," it said.
Tensions have been running high in the conflict zone in the last
month. On June 27, Russian peacekeepers blocked a Georgian operation
to build a road between the villages of Nikozi and Avnevi, avoiding
several Ossetian villages. The troops placed several armoured vehicles
across the road to stop construction machinery driving past.
On the same day, residents of the Georgian village of Nikozi blocked
the main highway, demanding the restoration of their drinking water
supplies. The South Ossetian authorities in Tskhinvali had shut off
water supplies to the area after saying their own water supplies were
blocked by Tbilisi.
The water dispute has continued with recriminations and accusations -
and the occasional agreement - for several weeks.
Georgian experts are generally positive about the Sanakoyev phenomenon,
although they do not expect him to get international recognition any
time soon.
"Sanakoyev's visit to Brussels is the right move," said political
analyst Paata Zakareishvili, a member of the opposition Republican
Party. "One point to be noted is that this visit is not any initiative
by western organisations. He just took part in the Georgia-EU dialogue
in the capacity of a member of the Georgian delegation."
Archil Gegeshidze of the Strategic and International Studies Foundation
told IWPR that the final goal must be the peaceful reintegration of
South Ossetia into Georgia.
In order to achieve this, he said, the Georgian authorities should
take three factors into account.
First of all, efforts must be made to secure local legitimacy for
Sanakoyev by ensuring that his administration has broad public support
in South Ossetia. "The support Sanakoyev currently enjoys is mainly
among the region's Georgian population," he said. "It is essential
that his administration is recognised by the entire population. That
is a long process, which I hope will conclude successfully."
Gegeshidze said the Georgians needed to work hard to secure success for
their strategy with many different partners. "The Georgian authorities
need a serious, well-coordinated strategy of actions both within the
region and in the diplomatic arena," said Gegeshidze.
Magdalena Frichova, Caucasus project director with the International
Crisis Group, which recently produced a report entitled "Georgia's
South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly", sounded a more cautious
note. She told IWPR that the Georgians risked creating increased
tensions by trying to force the pace of change in the peace process.
"Georgia's desire to change the dynamics in the conflict resolution
process by non-violent and development-oriented means is positive,
but the determination to solve the conflict on its own terms only and
perhaps too quickly could backfire and lead to a dangerous rise in
tensions - as the events over the last couple of months indicate,"
said Frichova.
"At the same time Tbilisi should consider carefully to what degree
Sanakoyev is now representative of the wider Ossetian constituency,"
she said. "Tbilisi promotes him as someone who expresses the views
of the Ossetian public, but for most Ossetians in the conflict zone,
that is not the case. For many in Tskhinvali-controlled areas, it
is not a given that Sanakoyev could genuinely be an advocate for
their interests"
"The Georgian government should engage with all actors, and negotiate
not just with those who agree with Tbilisi's position but primarily
with those who don't."
Dmitry Avaliani is a journalist with 24 Hours newspaper in Tbilisi
and a member of IWPR's EU-funded Cross-Caucasus Journalism Network
project. Institute for War and Peace Reporting's Caucasus Reporting
Service