SOUTH OSSETIANS AGAIN BLOCK WORK OF OSCE

UNCLAS TBILISI 000483

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR DAS BRYZA & EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL OSCE GG
SUBJECT: SOUTH OSSETIANS AGAIN BLOCK WORK OF OSCE


1. (SBU) OSCE officials have described to us how
representatives of the South Ossetian de facto army and de
facto intelligence service stopped an OSCE/UN team March 19
and confiscated cameras and video equipment. OSCE intends to
send a letter to de facto officials to protest this
interference, which violates OSCE's status in the zone of
conflict. The incident occurred when the team was on the
second day of a waste management assessment that had been
requested by the de facto authorities themselves. De facto
and Tskhinvali city officials accompanied the team throughout
the visit, and once the security services intercepted the
OSCE/UN team, these officials began making phone calls in an
apparent attempt to call the security services off. OSCE
suspects the security services were alerted to the team's
presence by personnel at a nearby North Ossetian peacekeeping
post. During the incident the security services accused the
OSCE/UN team of spying. The South Ossetian office
responsible for the Joint Control Commission later returned
the cameras and equipment to OSCE.


2. (SBU) OSCE believes the incident reflects a lack of
coordination and control inside the de facto administration.
It comes on the heels of another incident February 28 when a
group of young men "verbally and physically abused" the
Georgian and OSCE participants in a Joint Monitoring Team
(consisting of the three sides of the Joint Peacekeeping
Force -- Georgia, Russia, and North Ossetia -- plus OSCE)
attempting to investigate an explosion at a de facto
government building in Dmenisi. The South Ossetian actions
prevented any effective investigation of the bombing by OSCE
and the cause of the explosion remains unclear. Russian and
North Ossetian JPKF observers did obtain access later and
interviewed a witness, but they did not determine who was
responsible for the explosion. OSCE is concerned that these
two incidents suggest an emerging pattern of harassment and
interference in OSCE's work.


3. (SBU) OSCE is also concerned about the recent detention of
a number of local residents of the town of Java, in the north
of South Ossetia, allegedly because of their connection to
the Karkusov brothers, influential Java residents who are
allied with the pro-Georgian Temporary Administrative Unit of
Dmitry Sanakoyev. ICRC officials told us March 19 that the
de facto authorities had refused to permit ICRC to visit the
detainees. Allegedly two of the detainees were transferred
from Russian to South Ossetian custody after they were
initially detained in Vladikavkaz.

PERRY