VZCZCXRO6265
PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #0115 1121559
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 221540Z APR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 9700
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS STATE 040115 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV GG
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: STATEMENT ON THE 
SITUATION IN GEORGIA 
 
¶1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at 
the April 23 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna. 
 
Begin text: 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
 
The United States would like to call attention to the April 
14 statement of the High Commissioner on National Minorities 
in which he expresses serious concern about developments in 
the Gali district of Abkhazia, Georgia.  We agree fully that 
limitations imposed on ethnic Georgians' rights by the de 
facto authorities, including through compulsory 
"passportization" and restrictions on their freedom of 
movement, are  unacceptable not only from a human rights 
perspective, but have led in addition to a deterioration in 
the security situation. 
 
We exhort the de facto authorities to rescind these 
limitations and fully respect the human rights of all people 
in the region. We also call on Russia to ensure that respect 
for human rights is upheld and that international 
humanitarian law is observed in those areas of Georgia 
controlled by Russian military forces. 
 
In addition, we urge the participants to implement the 
recommendations of the November 2008 ODIHR/HCNM human rights 
assessment mission report, and call for an urgent follow-up 
assessment to ascertain the current human rights conditions 
in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia. 
 
Furthermore, we deplore the detention of two unarmed OSCE 
military monitors on April 21 near Nikozi, south of the 
administrative boundary line. We concur with the 
Chairperson-in-Office that their detention by South Ossetian 
authorities was "wholly unacceptable", and urge all forces in 
the area to refrain from provocative acts. 
 
The fragile security situation, including continued reports 
of violence and human rights abuses in the zone of conflict, 
underscores the need for free and unfettered access by 
international monitors to the whole of Georgia, including 
Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  It also illustrates the need for 
a robust OSCE presence throughout Georgia. The departure of 
the OSCE mission would remove an important mediating voice, 
increasing the possibility of direct confrontation in a 
still-tense atmosphere, and limit the ability of the 
international community to build confidence and peacefully 
resolve what remains a fragile security environment. 
 
The United States believes the Chairmanship's April 8 draft 
decision on an Office in Tbilisi and a monitoring operation 
provides a good basis for agreement.  The Chairmanship's 
proposal is a useful compromise precisely because it 
skillfully avoids the divisive issues of status and instead 
focuses on practical arrangements that would allow the OSCE 
to contribute positively toward conflict resolution efforts 
in support of the Geneva process.  We urge all delegations to 
work with the Chairmanship in a spirit of good will and 
collaboration to reach swift agreement on the basis of this 
proposal, and would view any effort to reinsert contentious 
issues that prejudge status disputes as unhelpful and not 
aimed at a good-faith resolution. 
 
We call upon all participants to take a constructive approach 
at today,s meeting of the Geneva Process incident prevention 
and response mechanism for the Georgian region of South 
Ossetia. We hope this meeting, as well as the next round of 
Geneva discussions on May 18 and 19, will contribute 
positively to reducing tensions in the region and furthering 
implementation of the August 12 six-point agreement. In 
particular, we look forward to concrete progress being made 
in Geneva on the urgent problem of humanitarian access to 
South Ossetia from Gori. 
 
The United States will continue to support Georgia's 
sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity with its 
internationally recognized borders, and will help in all ways 
to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict. 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
CLINTON