The Mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tskhinval refused to facilitate the visit of the relatives of the missing South Ossetian citizens to Tbilisi”, reported the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev.
“During the visit of Zurab Nogaideli and representatives of non-governmental organizations to South Ossetia on 19 December 2009, the relatives of the missing South Ossetian citizens requested them to facilitate the organization of meetings with human rights NGOs in Georgia, and public appeal broadcast by Georgian media. This agreement has been reached and we asked the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tskhinval to facilitate the relatives’ visit to Tbilisi and back. In response to this request, we received a refusal”, said Chochiev.
According to Boris Chochiev, the ICRC Mission in South Ossetia had contacted the colleagues in Georgia, and those received a refusal from the Georgian authorities, “who apparently were afraid of the possibility that the relatives would inform the Georgian public on the real state of affairs”.
In the response letter, the ICRC refers to the fact that in relation to the missing persons, the ICRC is currently focusing on the creation of a mechanism, which includes representatives of three sides’ authorities (Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia). “Therefore, and for the time being, the ICRC wishes to avoid getting involved in or developing of any other kind of parallel mechanism. The ICRC understands the families’ efforts to do everything possible, however, the ICRC does not want to create any interference that could jeopardize the establishment of that tripartite mechanism,” read the letter.
“So, they has politely refused and avoided the settlement of the problem”, Boris Chochiev commented on the letter. He reported that the South Ossetian side addressed the ICRC HQ to meet while the South Ossetian delegation is in Geneva to discuss the issues related to cooperation with the ICRC. “Our request was positively received and on 26 January, a meeting of the Geneva discussions’ Co-Chairs with the ICRC officials will take place in Geneva,” concluded Chochiev.
