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Criminals don’t want witnesses

By Messenger Staff
Monday, May 18
Russia was the only country among the 36 OSCE members which voted against continuing the observers mandate in Georgia and the Tskhinvali region. The excuses the Russian representative gave for doing this were entirely unconvincing. However we can safely conclude that Russia, a country which commits international criminal acts in the separatist regions of Georgia by occupying and militarizing them, does not want witnesses to its actions. Whilst filling the breakaway regions with an incredible quantity of armaments and soldiers Moscow shamelessly warns about Georgian aggression, hoping no one will notice that Russia itself remains the ugliest of aggressors.

The Kremlin did not agree to the proposal of the Greek OSCE Chairmanship, in which neither Georgia nor ‘South Ossetia’ were mentioned. Under this proposal twenty-two observers would have been deployed in the Georgian-controlled village of Karaleti and eight in the separatist capital Tskhinvali. European diplomats thought that such a plan would have been acceptable for Moscow as well as Tbilisi. But Russia rejected the proposal because it would mean that international observers would have to move around the conflict zone and cross the administrative border.

OSCE chair country Greece has now suspended the negotiations on this issue, which had been going on for almost five months. However Greece still hopes to make progress through the political goodwill of the countries. Imperialistic Russia meanwhile has continued yabbering on about “Georgian aggression” and “new realities”, which is another way of saying it wants the world to recognise the criminal regimes in the breakaway regions of Georgia as Russia has.

Tbilisi has stated that Russia is now in isolation but does not care. Foreign Minister of Georgia Grigol Vashadze has stated that Russia cannot bear to imagine international observers watching the occupier building up its military strength in territories it illegally controls and the poverty and disaster this is bringing to the local civilian population. Some independent experts suggest that further military intervention from Russia cannot be ruled out.

The OSCE mission in Georgia has functioned since 1992, monitoring the situation in the breakaway South Ossetian region. As a result of Russia vetoing its presence on May 13 the mission has to leave Georgia on June 30. Georgian officials think that after Russia’ conduct at the OSCE Georgia can demand the strengthening of the EU mission in Georgia. However there is still a threat that Russia can also torpedo the EU mission and even the UN one. These organisations now have to decide whether it is the law abiding members or the criminals who call the tune.