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Powell calls on Russia to withdraw bases
The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 8 2004
Georgian minister says border monitoring mission needs extension "for
the sake of peace and stability"
By Warren Hedges
Washington is waiting for Russia to act on its commitments to remove
military bases from Georgia and is even willing to contribute to the
cost of doing so, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell declared on
Tuesday.
Speaking in Sofia during the 12th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial
Council, Secretary Powell also said the OSCE needs to make a 'new
push' to help settle frozen conflicts like those in Georgia and
Moldova.
"In parts of our OSCE community, frozen conflicts still remain frozen
fifteen years after the end of the Cold War," he said during a speech
to the council. He added that in the past year, "there has been
little headway made toward resolution of the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh or in breakaway regions of Moldova and Georgia. A
new push from the OSCE and by the leaders of participating states is
needed."
He immediately followed these comments by calling on Russia to follow
through on its obligations agreed to 1999 to remove military bases
from Georgia.
"Russia's commitments to withdraw its military forces from Moldova,
and to agree with Georgia on the duration of the Russian military
presence there, remain unfulfilled," the secretary noted.
Referring to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE),
which the U.S. has yet to ratify, Powell said, "A core principle of
the CFE Treaty is host country agreement to the stationing of
forces."
"The United States remains committed to moving ahead with
ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty," Powell said, "but we will
only do so after all the Istanbul commitments on Georgia and Moldova
have been met. And we stand ready to assist with reasonable costs
associated with the implementation of those commitments."
Representing Georgia, as well as the GUUAM organization, at the
two-day council meeting, Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome
Zourabichvili called on OSCE members to extend its border monitoring
mission in Georgia, a mission that is set to expire at the end of
this month.
"We strongly believe that the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO)
in Georgia is one of the most successful missions of our
Organization," Zourabichvili said, "simultaneously making a
tremendous contribution to Georgia's border security at the most
volatile and controversial segments of the Georgian-Russian border."
The BMO currently deploys 150 monitors from member countries along
the border between Georgia and the Chechen Republic of the Russian
Federation. According to the OSCE, the mission began in December 1999
and was expanded in December 2001 to encompass the Ingush segment of
the Georgian border with the Russian Federation, and once more in
December 2002, to include the Dagestan segment of the border.
Zourabichvili concluded her speech by calling for an extension beyond
the current year: "We strongly support the BMO's extension for the
sake of peace and stability in the region."
Secretary Powell also backed up Georgia's position, saying some of
the OSCE's "most important assets" are its 17 field missions. " The
missions are working for democracy, human rights and conflict
resolution from the Balkans to Central Asia. In Georgia, the OSCE's
Border Monitoring Operation is contributing to stability on a
sensitive border, and its mandate should be extended for another
year."
Representing Russia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov called
on Georgia to avoid politicizing its separatist conflicts and to
avoid the use of force.
"Today we need not political slogans but concrete measures to improve
the situation in South Ossetia in terms of the Sochi agreements of
Zhvania and Kokoiti on November 5," Lavrov said.
He also said Russia is waiting for economic cooperation between
Georgia and separatist Abkhazia: "We wait for the logical steps in
fulfilling these agreements from both sides so as to strengthen the
trust between Tbilisi and Sokhumi, mainly in the economic sphere."
Lavrov also called on Georgia to "not forget about" its commitments
to the OSCE to protect regional governments like Adjara's autonomous
status: "The liquidation of Adjaran autonomy would not contribute to
raising trust in Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian relations."
The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 8 2004
Georgian minister says border monitoring mission needs extension "for
the sake of peace and stability"
By Warren Hedges
Washington is waiting for Russia to act on its commitments to remove
military bases from Georgia and is even willing to contribute to the
cost of doing so, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell declared on
Tuesday.
Speaking in Sofia during the 12th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial
Council, Secretary Powell also said the OSCE needs to make a 'new
push' to help settle frozen conflicts like those in Georgia and
Moldova.
"In parts of our OSCE community, frozen conflicts still remain frozen
fifteen years after the end of the Cold War," he said during a speech
to the council. He added that in the past year, "there has been
little headway made toward resolution of the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh or in breakaway regions of Moldova and Georgia. A
new push from the OSCE and by the leaders of participating states is
needed."
He immediately followed these comments by calling on Russia to follow
through on its obligations agreed to 1999 to remove military bases
from Georgia.
"Russia's commitments to withdraw its military forces from Moldova,
and to agree with Georgia on the duration of the Russian military
presence there, remain unfulfilled," the secretary noted.
Referring to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE),
which the U.S. has yet to ratify, Powell said, "A core principle of
the CFE Treaty is host country agreement to the stationing of
forces."
"The United States remains committed to moving ahead with
ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty," Powell said, "but we will
only do so after all the Istanbul commitments on Georgia and Moldova
have been met. And we stand ready to assist with reasonable costs
associated with the implementation of those commitments."
Representing Georgia, as well as the GUUAM organization, at the
two-day council meeting, Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome
Zourabichvili called on OSCE members to extend its border monitoring
mission in Georgia, a mission that is set to expire at the end of
this month.
"We strongly believe that the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO)
in Georgia is one of the most successful missions of our
Organization," Zourabichvili said, "simultaneously making a
tremendous contribution to Georgia's border security at the most
volatile and controversial segments of the Georgian-Russian border."
The BMO currently deploys 150 monitors from member countries along
the border between Georgia and the Chechen Republic of the Russian
Federation. According to the OSCE, the mission began in December 1999
and was expanded in December 2001 to encompass the Ingush segment of
the Georgian border with the Russian Federation, and once more in
December 2002, to include the Dagestan segment of the border.
Zourabichvili concluded her speech by calling for an extension beyond
the current year: "We strongly support the BMO's extension for the
sake of peace and stability in the region."
Secretary Powell also backed up Georgia's position, saying some of
the OSCE's "most important assets" are its 17 field missions. " The
missions are working for democracy, human rights and conflict
resolution from the Balkans to Central Asia. In Georgia, the OSCE's
Border Monitoring Operation is contributing to stability on a
sensitive border, and its mandate should be extended for another
year."
Representing Russia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov called
on Georgia to avoid politicizing its separatist conflicts and to
avoid the use of force.
"Today we need not political slogans but concrete measures to improve
the situation in South Ossetia in terms of the Sochi agreements of
Zhvania and Kokoiti on November 5," Lavrov said.
He also said Russia is waiting for economic cooperation between
Georgia and separatist Abkhazia: "We wait for the logical steps in
fulfilling these agreements from both sides so as to strengthen the
trust between Tbilisi and Sokhumi, mainly in the economic sphere."
Lavrov also called on Georgia to "not forget about" its commitments
to the OSCE to protect regional governments like Adjara's autonomous
status: "The liquidation of Adjaran autonomy would not contribute to
raising trust in Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian relations."