Archive - 2/2010

Tskhinval (ICRC) 1 March 2010 – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today launched a program of agricultural support to rural populations affected by the conflict. Close to 4'000 households (approximately 10'000 individuals) will receive a package of potatoes, vegetable seeds, fertilizer and insecticide. The distribution of in-kind agricultural inputs is designed to increase the productivity of vegetables and orchard crops in rural areas on which many people rely for their subsistence.

The CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Tomas Hammarberg and tow independent experts are arriving in South Ossetia, reported South Ossetian Ombudsman David Sanakoev. They will meet with the South Ossetian HR Commissioner and the relatives of the South Ossetian citizens captured by Georgian authorities, and with the relatives of those who went missing. “During the meetings, the CoE will try to obtain the information about the circumstances in which the persons were captured, as well as details of their whereabouts after the disappearance available with their relatives”, said Sanakoev. “European human rights defenders intend to investigate the circumstances of abduction of South Ossetian citizens by Georgian law enforcers during after the August 2008 hostilities”, underlined the Ombudsman.

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Tomas Hammarberg arrived in Tskhinval. He is accompanied by independent experts to carry out an investigation into circumstances of abduction of South Ossetian citizens by Georgian law enforcers during the hostilities in August 2008 and after.
The two independent experts Bruce Pegg and Nicolas Sebir already had a meeting with relatives of South Ossetian citizens captured by Georgian authorities, now they are having a meeting with the relatives of the missing South Ossetian citizens.

Conservatism and stereotyped thinking in foreign policy – factors, which caused frustration among many states and international organizations inflexible in their response to the changed political realities. An example of such sluggishness – the persistent unwillingness to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the support to "the territorial integrity" of Georgia, which throughout the post-Soviet period had no control over these republics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia and Abkhazia became de-facto independent states, and in 2008, they sovereignty was recognized by Russia.

"We deeply appreciate the efforts of the Russian diplomats who raised before the OSCE a question about recognition of South Ossetia", stated to the RES Agency the South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Djioev commenting on the statement by the RF Permanent Representative to the OSCE Anvar Azimov.

The trial on the case of Fatima Margieva, a citizen of South Ossetia, charged with illegal acquiring and keeping of arms and explosives will take place within two weeks, reported to RES Agency the acting Supreme Court Judge Mukhar Kokoev.
The judge specified that currently Margieva is kept in the pre-trial detention facility of the Interior Ministry of South Ossetia.

Under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) a meeting on preparation of coordination mechanism for persons unaccounted for since the hostilities in South Ossetia in August 2008 and after was convened in Geneva. As David Sanakoev, Human Rights Commissioner, in his phone conversation with RES Agency, the meeting was a step forward in the process of clarifying the fates of people missing in the hostilities in August 2008.
"The meeting participants exchanged lists of missing persons. The South Ossetian side has raised a number of questions, which are now under discussion", reported the HR Commissioner.

The president of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity held a meeting with top officials of law enforcement structures. RSO Prime Minister Vadim Brovtsev and Head of President’s Administration Arsen Gagloev have also participated in the meeting.
The discussion mainly focused on drug traffic problem on the territory of South Ossetia. As Interior Minister Valery Valiev emphasized in his report, currently there are no heavy drugs, such as heroine, in the republic. “I can tell for sure that use and purchase of these drugs takes place outside the republic. However, here the production and used of drugs made of poppy seeds are frequent here”, said Valiev.

The newly elected President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich will be more cautious in his practical actions than declared in his pre-election campaign, said the Head of the RF Duma Committee for International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev while visiting Tskhinval and responding to journalists' questions whether there was any possibility that Ukrainian President Yanukovich might recognize South Ossetia. "I think no one can give an answer to this questions now, including Yanukovich himself, though it might sound paradoxically", underlined Kosachev. "There is a common understanding that the election campaign always differs from the real policy. We are now entering an interesting period when the elected president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich starts the implementation of the declared election program, and we still have to understand and see how consistent Yanukovich is in his practical steps". Commenting on the recently signed agreement on cooperation between the Party "Yedinaya Rossia" and the political movement of the former Georgian Prime-Minister Zurab Nogaideli "For Just Georgia", Konstantin Kosachev stated: "We are not idealizing Mr.Nogaideli and his party. We agreed on this cooperation since we deem it necessary that the dialogue between politicians, and through politicians, between the peoples of Russia and Georgia should continue, and we should not be taken hostage by the destructive and deadlock policy imposed by the president Saakashvili. It is crucial."

Konstantin Kosachev, the Head of the RF State Duma Committee for International Affairs, visited South Ossetia. In Tskhinval, Konstantin Kosachev met with the Speaker of South Ossetian Parliament Stanislav Kochiev, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Political Party "Yedinstvo" Zurab Kokoev, Deputy Prime-Minister of South Ossetian Government Domenty Kulumbegov and other officials. While opening the meeting, Stanislav Kochiev expressed the gratitude for the attention paid to SOuth Ossetia and its problems.