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OSCE Chases the Rocket
Georgia responded to the statement by Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin accusing Tbilisi of staging the fall of the Russian missile on Georgian territory. Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze called Churkin's words “a display of Soviet diplomacy, denying obvious facts,” adding that “the data obtained give us hope that the issue will be discussed seriously on all international levels.”
Georgia also accused Russia of new violations of its airspace. At the same time, Moscow and Tbilisi were visited by OSCE special representative Miomir Zuzul, who held talks at the foreign ministries of both countries. It would seem that the OSCE has decided to play the role of intermediary and help the parties out of the extended conflict without loss of face.
Churkin used the conclusions of Russian military experts to support his claim that the incident was staged. The Russians claimed that only three pieces gathered at the site of the incident belonged to the same missile and some of the others were produced abroad. That lead the Russian experts to the conclusion that the missile was used long before August 6. The disposal of the missile and other obstacles to the Russian investigation were also seen obfuscation. “The impression is created that certain political circles thus intended to create a political storm,” Churkin concluded.
Yesterday afternoon, after Antadze's retort to the Russian UN ambassador, the Georgian Foreign Ministry sent the Russian Foreign Ministry a note of protest over a new violation of Georgian airspace by a Russian plane. According to Georgia, that took place Tuesday evening. Moscow vehemently denied that information.
Simultaneously, Zuzul was visiting the site of the missile drop near the village of Tsitelubani (which did not take place on August 6, if Russian expert conclusions are to be believed). Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili gave Zuzul copies of reports by British and Estonian experts contradicting the conclusions of the Russian experts and told him that only the explosive part of the missile had been destroyed.
Zuzul then flew to Moscow, where, according to the OSCE, he will meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Defense Ministry officials. OSCE spokesmen also say that Zuzul's finding will be given to Spanish Foreign Minister and chairman of the OSCE Miguel Angel Moratinos.
The OSCE apparently decided to get involved after it became clear that neither side would back down. Finding a mutually acceptable solution to the conflict will not be easy. Bezhuashvili told Zuzul that Georgia made allowances for a quiet, civilized solution, when it waited for 14 hours after the incident occurred for Russia to declare the fallen missile a mistake. Only after Russia declared that it had nothing to do with the incident did Georgia inform the international community of it.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 23, 2007
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