EU monitors remain alone
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EU monitors will stay in Georgia at least until September 2010, but so far no decision regarding the inclusion of a third party has been taken. The participation of non-EU countries in the EU monitoring mission (EUMM) will be discussed in autumn. Georgia hopes to see U.S. monitors in the mission that remains alone after Russia blocked the presence of the UN and OSCE monitoring missions in the breakaway regions.
The EU External Relations Council said in a statement after meeting in Brussels that the EUMM in Georgia “remains a key stabilizing factor” and deploying EU observers has helped establish the necessary conditions to implement the Aug. 12 and Sept. 8 agreements.
The council called upon parties “to fully comply with their commitments, including the withdrawal of all military forces to the positions held prior to the outbreak of hostilities,” and stressed that “EUMM Georgia has a countrywide mandate,” demanding unhindered access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia , “which has so far been denied.”
The council also denounced an attack on the EUMM on June 21 and called on all parties to ensure a secure environment for the mission, emphasizing EUMM Georgia’s crucial role after Russia vetoed the extension of the UN and OSCE monitoring missions’ mandates.
“The EU will continue its close cooperation with the UN and the OSCE in all matters pertaining to Georgia ,” the council said in a statement, reaffirming “its full commitment to the Geneva talks and the continued co-chairmanship by the EU, UN and OSCE.”
Tbilisi welcomed the decision, but also hoped for an increased role for the EUMM.
The mission still has no access to Georgia ’s breakaway regions and after the UN and OSCE observers left the country the concerns abound over increasing human rights violations against Georgians.
Parliamentary Speaker David Bakradze called the decision to extend the mandate important, saying the mission is the most effective international element on the ground after blocking the UN and OSCE mission mandates.
“This is, for us, a certain guarantee that Russia will not have cause and context for thinking about any new military aggression or large-scale military actions,” Bakradze was quoted as saying by Novosti Gruzia.
He added that the mission provides a basis for further political discussions.
“This political process involves the entrance of international observers to the occupied territories and the deployment of international peace or police forces,” he said.
Simultaneously the Parliamentary Temporary Commission on Territorial Integrity Issues called for a more active role for the EU in a statement earlier this week.
The commission highlighted increased human rights violations against Georgians in Gali after Russian forces entered the region.
“The commission declares once again that to protect human rights in the occupied zones, it is necessary to form a new format of peaceful operations in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali and make the EU’s role in the abovementioned format more active,” it said in a statement.
U.S. inclusion in EUMM “injurious”
The issue of including monitors from third countries will presumably be addressed by EU foreign ministers this fall. The U.S. said this week that it has not yet been asked to participate.
Prior to the visit of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, media reported actively that talks about the possible inclusion of a U.S. monitor in the EUMM are in progress.
Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobashvili said in televised remarks to the Rustavi-2 television station that the involvement of a third party will strengthen the mission.
“I think such a decision will obviously strengthen the mission and increase the level of security,” he said.
However, no immediate decisions are expected as European diplomats said the issue will be debated in autumn.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said at a press conference early this week that issues including the participation of a third country in the EUMM “will be on the table” after summer.
Although neither a decision nor invitation has been made so far, some European officials have already voiced concern that the move to include monitors from non-EU countries such as the U.S. , Turkey and Canada in the EUMM will anger Russia.
“It is premature to discuss whether to change or integrate a new mandate or the number of participants, particularly non-EU states,” Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was quoted as saying by Reuters.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said inviting U.S. monitors could be counterproductive to the aim of getting access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia , the news agency reported.
“Having Americans in the monitoring mission might even be like falling into a trap,” he told reporters. “The priority is to reinforce the European presence on the ground [...] and to have monitors on the other side.”
The response from the Kremlin was as expected.
A Russian Foreign Ministry source was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the idea of including U.S. monitors is harmful and will add a new irritant to U.S.-Russian relations.
Some local analysts say that while extending the EUMM mandate is a welcome and positive step for Georgia , there are few hopes the mission will be able to enter the breakaway regions in the near future.
Analyst Paata Zakareishvili is also skeptical about the possibility of the participation of non-EU states in the EUMM. The involvement of U.S. monitors would likely spark problems with Russia , something the EU prefers to avoid, he said.
“It is neither serious nor realistic,” Zakareishvili told Georgia Today.
“The EU has its own ambitions and today thinks about the effectiveness of its mission,” he added. “Why would it share its successes with the U.S. ? Whenever it has been possible to be alone the EU has chosen to be alone without the U.S.”
Nina Akhmeteli
31.07.2009 |
