The OSCE and the Georgian-Ossetian conflict

VIENNA, 30 October 2007 – Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli told the OSCE’s Permanent Council today that his country welcomed the Organization’s role in efforts to resolve the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

He argued that the Joint Control Commission (JCC), a negotiation mechanism co-chaired by the Georgian, South Ossetian, North Ossetian and Russian sides and in which the OSCE Mission to Georgia participates, had been immobilized.

“Decisions are not made and implementation is impossible, because the format and the separatists themselves constantly reject initiatives and proposals,” he said.

He added that the negotiations held under the commission were prolonging the conflict.

“The Georgian government does not reject the JCC. In fact, we welcome the role of the OSCE as part of our national effort to unite our country. That is why we have repeatedly come to this venue, offering serious proposals,” he said. “But in plain terms, it is not enough. And it will not bring us peace.” (from the website of OSCE). 

IAEA head urges full transparency from Iran

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters, October 29, 2007) – The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday Iran’s agreement on a plan to resolve questions about its nuclear program was important but “active cooperation and transparency” would be key to its success.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it was regrettable that Iran had not suspended uranium enrichment and was continuing to build a heavy water reactor at Arak, contrary to Security Council decisions.

He said Iran had recently provided additional information and access to resolve “a number of outstanding issues, such as the scope and nature of past plutonium experiments.”

“While the agency so far has been unable to verify certain important aspects relevant to the scope and nature of Iran’s nuclear program, Iran and the secretariat (of the IAEA) agreed in August on a work plan for resolving all outstanding verification issues,” ElBaradei said (see full article).

America’s hostile policies doomed to failure

“The American hostile policies against Iranian nation and its legal institutions are in violation to the international norms and are doomed to failure,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Sayed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Thursday (see full IRIB article).

Iraqi Foreign Minister Receives his Turkish Counterpart in Baghdad

From the Iraqi Foreign Ministry website : Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari received at the Ministry headquarters his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Ali Baba Jan and the delegation accompanying him on 23/10/2007, formal negotiations between Iraq and Turkey were held and bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to deal with the activities of terrorist organizations were discussed to address the disturbance in the good historical relations between the Iraqi and Turkish peoples. The two ministers stressed the importance of adopting dialogue and political means and the use of appropriate procedural order to maintain security in the two countries.

Minister Zebari welcomed the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister and stressed Iraq’s desire to resolve the current crisis and to address outstanding problems through diplomatic means and explained that the Iraqi government is fully prepared to solve border problems and fight together against terrorism that is a threat to both countries.

Minister Zebari stressed that Iraq would not allow the PKK, or any other side to poison relations between the two countries, and pointed out that an Iraqi high-level security and technical delegation would visit Ankara to hold talks with Turkish officials to achieve practical and effective “solutions”

On his part the Turkish minister expressed his government’s keenness to maintain security, stability, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, adding that Turkey is determined to use dialogue and diplomatic means and that the military option is final a mean, because the security of Turkish citizens comes first and therefore the negotiation and cooperation to fight against terrorism is something that both countries are keen on (see full document).

Lithuania regrets that political motives hinder to aid residents of Tskhinvali

From a Statement of the Lithuanian MFA, October 18, 2007 : On 16 October, experts of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lithuanian Embassy to Georgia, responsible for the implementation and monitoring of development cooperation projects, were not allowed to enter Tskhinvali. In this territory the water supply system is being restored out of the funds that are designated by Lithuania and other OSCE countries. Lithuania has allocated 100000 euros for the project.

 The OSCE mission to Georgia, which organised the visit of experts, was given merely political motives. 

Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that residents of Tskhinvali will suffer from such a decision, as the water supply infrastructure in Tskhinvali is time-worn and they often lack water.

This decision violates the rights of Lithuania – an international donor – to control and monitor projects that are being implemented out of Lithuania’s funds. Therefore, in the future Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not discount the possibility of not funding projects that are being artificially impeded in the settlements in South Ossetia, which currently cannot be fully controlled by Georgian authorities (see full announcement).

Larijani and Jalili to meet Solana

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said (…) Sunday that Ali Larijani will accompany the new chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, in his meeting with the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters during his weekly press briefing, he said, “Larijani, as a representative of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei at the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and due to the emphasis of the Supreme Leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to attend the talks with Solana.” (source : IRNA).

Russia and the EU: Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson

In a speech at the EU-Russia centre on 17 October 2007, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson argues that the EU and Russia are experiencing a difficult period at a time when their relationship is structurally underdeveloped and politically over-sensitised. He makes the case that the priority for the EU and Russia must be putting the economic fundamentals in place, above all by integrating the EU and Russian economies better and ensuring that Russia accedes to the WTO (see full speech).

End of the Summit of the Caspian Sea Littoral States

Tehran, Oct 16, IRNA – The Second Summit of the Caspian Sea Littoral States ended its work after holding a joint press conference in the presence of heads of state of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan Republic, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Tehran on Tuesday afternoon (see full article).

 

Solana-Larijani talks to be held on October 23

TEHRAN, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – The EU’s foreign policy and security chief and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator will hold talks on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program in Rome October 23, an Iranian official said on Wednesday.

“Next Tuesday, I will meet with [Javier] Solana in Rome,” Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Security Council, told reporters (see full article).

Russia warns Georgia may use force against breakaway areas

SOLNECHNOGORSK (Moscow Region), October 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s military has evidence that Georgia is prepared to use force to resolve conflicts with its breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a top army official said on Wednesday.

“You will surely remember [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili’s statement, to the effect that he is determined, before re-election, to resolve the problem of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. I believe this implies the use of force, among other things,” said Army Gen. Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (see full article).