Press release

HELSINKI, 28 March 2008 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, expressed his serious concern today over a series of bomb explosions in recent days in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

Since 28 February, three separate bomb incidents have killed three people and seriously wounded at least five others, including one peacekeeper from the North Ossetian Battalion of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces. The latest incident took place yesterday evening in Tskhinvali, where an explosive device attached to a car killed one woman and seriously injured the driver. The perpetrators of these incidents remain unidentified.

"I am saddened by these casualties and seriously concerned about the increasing number of violent incidents and the escalation of tension in the zone of conflict," said Kanerva. "It is of vital importance that both sides resume unconditional dialogue and refrain from any actions or statements which would further destabilize the situation."