The delegation of NGO «Geneva Col» has arrived to South Ossetia Republic. The structure of the delegation entered the president of NGO «Geneva Col» Elizabeth Ryusse-Dekrej, the officer under the programs of NGO «Geneva Col» Markus Haake, the representative of NGO «Geneva Col» in the Caucasus Mekhmet Balchi, the representative in NGO «Geneva Col» from the Georgian side Narina Berikashvili. The delegation was accepted by the acting Deputy Prime-Minister of the Government of South Ossetia Republic, the Co-chairman of JCC from the South-Ossetian party Boris Chochiev. At the meeting were also present the Head of the Apparatus of JCC from the South-Ossetian party Leonid Tibilov,and the deputy minister of foreign affairs of South Ossetia Republic Alan Pliev. The purpose of visit of the delegation of NGO «Geneva Col» are the questions of the traditional for them activity on non-distribution of the antipersonnel mines. After the mutual greetings Boris Chochiev has informed the visitors, that the problem of antipersonnel mines is actual for South Ossetia Republic.
It has been noted, that the mined sites exist since the period of war of 1992 and have considerably increased during the aggravation of the conflict in 2004. According to Boris Chochiev, «the ossetian party supports the idea of destruction of the mines not only in South Ossetia, but also all over the world. We made such offers to the Georgian party the last three years. However, the Georgian party refuses not only the idea of mine clearing, but also does not agree to sign in general any documents on nonrenewal of the operations. I wish to note, that the main part of the mine fields are on the territory, controllable by the Georgian side, though such a problem also exists on the ossetian territory».
From her part Elizabeth Ryusse-Dekrej has expressed the hope, that «peace will be restored on the land of South Ossetia and then we will have to do a great work on neutralization of the antipersonnel mines. We hope that the activity on mine clearing of the territory of the conflict will be begun even before the final settlement of the georgian-ossetian contradictions. It is not necessary for us to wait for the settlement of the conflict to begin our work and we hope for the assistance both of the ossetian and the georgian parties». In conclusion Elizabeth Ryusse-Dekrej has noted that the Georgian party for the present has negatively reacted to the initiative of NGO «Geneva Col» on mine clearing of the zone of the conflict.
