STATEMENT by the Ossetian part of the JCC on unfair assessment of the situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict Zone by the OSCE Mission in Georgia.

South-Ossetian side notes that the work of the OSCE in regulating the Georgian-Ossetian conflict has greatly contributed to the peace development over many years of its activity in the conflict zone.

The special tribute shall be given to the positive role of the OSCE in realizing the projects of economic rehabilitation of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, in holding the meetings for politicians and journalists and participating in the peace-talks.

At the same time, while analyzing the recent reports of the OSCE regarding the situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, unfortunately we have to state that the OSCE Mission in Georgia trends to pursue the double-standards in assessing the current situation.

The reports by the OSCE Mission in Georgia sent to the leadership of the OSCE and the member-states vividly show the biased manner of providing the information. The facts of violation of achieved agreements by the Georgian side are concealed or take rather ambiguous form. The main focus is directed on the minor violations from the Ossetian side while the obvious violations from Georgian side are not considered at all.

Military aggression of Georgian side against South Ossetia in summer of 2004 is assessed in the report like the other violations in the conflict zone. Evidently the reports covert from the international community the cruel offences committed by the armed forces of Georgia against the peaceful population of South Ossetia.

Even the fact of brutal torture and assassination of the Ossetian lawenforcement official G. Sanakoev by Georgian military troops failed to find expression in the reports of the OSCE though the officers of this organization attended the process of forensic medicine.

We believe that the delegation of the OSCE member-states and the leaders of those country will contribute to the fair settlement of Georgian-Ossetian conflict, however, the information submitted them by the OSCE Mission in Georgia unfortunately breeds the wrong assumption on the confrontation between the Republic of South Ossetia and Georgia.

We are fully aware that the OSCE Mission in Georgia, and first of all its Tskhinvali Office jeopardizes the peaceful resolution of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict thereof undermining the trust of the population to the OSCE as a whole.

Seems that the activity of Tskhinvali Office of the OSCE does not comply with the position and principles of this respected organization.

We hope that the OSCE Mission will take into account the aforementioned facts and take steps for effective implementation of its mandate of mediator in Georgia.

We assume that the OSCE Mission in Georgia shall submit its reports to the South Ossetian side on the regular basis.

In order to settle the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, we find necessary to advise the OSCE Mission in Georgia with regard of pursuing unbiased attitude in its activity, as well as of objectively informing the leadership of the OSCE about the ongoing situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone and refraining from biased assessments of the situation in the Ossetian-Georgian conflict zone, in accordance with their mandate.

Moscow, 17 March 2005

(Archive of the Staff of the State Minister of Georgia for Conflict Resolution Issues/ in Russion)