International experts and OSCE delegations discuss 6 August missile incident in Georgia

VIENNA, 17 October 2007 - OSCE participating States and experts met in Vienna today to discuss the 6 August missile incident in Georgia at a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC). It marked the first time the different experts who examined the incident had been brought together to discuss their findings.

"It was an opportunity for continued dialogue and for all sides to air their views," said Ambassador John Bernhard, who chairs the FSC on behalf of Denmark. "We are confident that Russia, Georgia and all countries involved are looking to the future and for ways to avoid similar incidents. This is the essence of the OSCE's role."

On 6 August, an air-launched missile hit open space in the Shida Kartli region to the south east of the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Following the incident, two international groups of experts - the first comprising Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and the United States, and the second Estonia, Poland and the United Kingdom - were invited by Georgia to examine the evidence. The Russian Federation also sent a team of experts to the site.

The Forum for Security Co-operation, distinct from the Permanent Council, is the OSCE's decision-making body dealing with politico-military security.