Georgia Conflict Alert: The Need for an Immediate End to Hostilities
in South Ossetia
Tbilisi/Brussels, 8 August 2008: The current fighting in South Ossetia
represents a humanitarian threat to 75,000 civilians in the region and
risks a larger regional conflict if it expands to other parts of
Georgia including Abkhazia. All sides should immediately cease
hostilities in South Ossetia, uphold humanitarian law, protect the
civilian population and resume talks to stop an expansion of the
conflict.
After weeks of low-level hostilities in South Ossetia, Georgia
declared last night that it would restore constitutional order there
and launched an offensive on the entity's capital Tskhinvali early on
8 August. Georgian forces have taken control of much of the city and
most surrounding villages. It appears that only the northern Java
region remains outside Georgian control. Moscow has said it will
protect Russian citizens living in South Ossetia. It has sent in large
numbers of tanks and reportedly bombed locations in Georgia.
A united international position is essential to forestall further
conflict and loss of life. Russia, the United States and the European
Union should push for a statement by the UN Security Council that
demands:
All sides immediately cease hostilities and withdraw all forces to
prior positions.
Georgia abide by all laws of war, protect the civilian population and
guarantee access to humanitarian assistance.
Russia refrain from taking steps outside its peacekeeping and
negotiator mandate, and close its border to any paramilitaries
attempting to cross into Georgia.
All parties work to ensure calm throughout the region, including Abkhazia.
It is particularly important that humanitarian assistance be
immediately provided to the 75,000 civilians living in South Ossetia.
Authorities need to ensure that there is full access to water, food
and medical services. Roads should be open to emergency and
humanitarian traffic. Persons who wish to evacuate should be allowed
free passage, but no forced displacements should occur. All civilians
and combatants should be assured protection according to international
law and human rights obligations, and those who breach these
obligations should be held accountable.
Crisis Group has repeatedly warned of the dangers of a resumption of
intense conflict in South Ossetia in the absence of a substantive
dialogue between the sides. Since hostilities resumed between
Georgians and South Ossetians in summer 2004, confidence between the
two has been low and the security situation volatile. While the South
Ossetians have been demanding full independence from Georgia, Tbilisi
has tried to encourage them to return to Georgia. All negotiations
have been stalled since summer 2006 contributing to increasing
tensions and the likelihood that any violence could quickly spiral out
of control. Efforts were made on 7 August to hold talks between
Georgians and South Ossetians in the presence of Russian
representatives but failed.
There is a real danger that the conflict will expand beyond South
Ossetia to Abkhazia and other parts of Georgia. Abkhazia has announced
that it will deploy forces to its border with Georgia in the Gali
region, in direct violation of the 1994 Moscow ceasefire agreement.
Gali is predominantly populated by ethnic Georgians. All efforts must
be made to assure their security and no extension of the conflict.
For several years, Georgia has accused Russia of supporting the South
Ossetians with military aid and argued that it cannot be an honest
broker in the conflict's resolution. Tbilisi wants a change in the
negotiations and peacekeeping formats in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
While this should be considered in principle, and with a greater role
for the European Union, it is not the right time to insist on a change
of negotiations format to restart talks. The immediate focus should be
on ceasing hostilities and responding to the humanitarian crisis.
________________________________
Contacts: Sabine Freizer, Europe Program Director (Brussels) +32 (0) 484 368 375
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) +1 202 785 1601
To contact Crisis Group media please click here
http://www.crisisgroup.org
No comments:
Post a Comment