OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 068586 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON GENEVA DISCUSSIONS ¶1. Post is authorized to make the following statement at the July 2, 2009, meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna: Begin text: Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. The United States commends OSCE, EU, and UN coordination of the July 1 Geneva discussions on security and stability arrangements in Georgia. In the immediate aftermath of these discussions, we again urge the good-faith implementation of the incident prevention and response mechanisms agreed in February. We note with some encouragement the agreement by the Abkhaz delegation to a July 14 meeting of the mechanism in Gali. We nevertheless were disappointed in the South Ossetian delegation,s decision not to participate in the meeting scheduled for June 23 and that it continues to place conditions on implementation of the mechanism, and hope the delegation will put aside differences over procedural matters and engage constructively in discussions of pressing security concerns. We note the persistence of violent incidents along the administrative boundary lines, and once more urge all parties to allow for joint visits, together with international monitors, to the sites of these incidents. Recent explosions -- one targeting an EU Monitoring Mission patrol and killing a Georgian ambulance driver, and a second damaging a high-voltage electricity line running between Georgia and Russia -- demonstrate the need for enhanced security measures, and underscore the critical importance of uninhibited access for international monitors to the whole of Georgia, including its South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions, to help prevent violence and promote respect for human rights. Madam Chairwoman, the United States remains convinced that the international community should jointly lead efforts to restore security and stability in Georgia. We deeply regret Russia,s refusal to renew the mandates of the OSCE Mission to Georgia and the UN Observer Mission in Georgia, and hold Russia solely responsible for the forced closure of these valuable missions. We note that Russia recently submitted a proposal for the deployment of OSCE observers to the region. We have carefully reviewed this proposal, but like the overwhelming majority of OSCE participating States, we have concluded that the proposal is yet another attempt by Russia to insert status issues into our discussions. We had hoped our Russian partners would present new ideas and refrain from promoting a view of the region that no other participating State shares, but Russia,s position appears to remain unchanged. The proposal offers no meaningful compromise, and is still far from neutral on the status of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia. We reiterate our support for the Chairmanship,s status-neutral proposal. The United States will continue to advocate an international presence throughout Georgia, including its Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, and we will continue to call for free and unhindered humanitarian access to the separatist regions, as provided for in UNSCR 1866 last February and in the August 12 cease-fire agreement. We will also continue to urge respect for the human rights of all individuals in the conflict areas, and to call for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees. Madam Chairwoman, the United States is deeply concerned by the fact that Russia is moving even further away from honoring the provisions of the August 12 and September 8 agreements, under which Russia committed not only to provide free and unhindered humanitarian access to the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia, but also to withdraw its troops to the positions and numbers prior to the start of hostilities. Russia,s decision to characterize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent does not relieve Russia of these commitments. We further remind Russia of its responsibility to ensure respect for human rights and international humanitarian law in those areas of Georgia under Russian occupation. The message from almost all OSCE foreign ministers at last weekend,s informal ministerial meeting in Corfu was quite clear: we need a strengthened international role on the ground in Georgia, rather than no role at all. As we begin STATE 00068586 002 OF 002 to follow up, we will look for progress on efforts to effectively address and resolve the issues that continue to undermine security in the OSCE region. The United States remains committed to peaceful conflict resolution, and will continue to support Georgia,s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. CLINTON