OSCE officials visit water supply projects in Georgia's conflict zone

TSKHINVALI, Georgia, 14 December 2007 - The OSCE Head of the Mission to Georgia, Ambassador Terhi Hakala, and the British Ambassador to Georgia, Denis Keefe, today visited several completed OSCE water supply projects that provide safe drinking water to thousands of Georgians and Ossetians living in the zone of conflict.

The United Kingdom paid for the projects through the OSCE-managed Economic Rehabilitation Programme, following agreement by the Georgian and Ossetian sides. Hakala and Keefe were accompanied by representatives of the Georgian and Ossetian sides, the company that built the system and engineers from the OSCE Economic Rehabilitation Programme.

"This is a good example of how locals can work together to solve important and immediate problems even though some live in villages which have been in areas of tension during the past year," Hakala said.

"The parties involved in conflict resolution, the donors, the engineers and local residents co-operated with the OSCE team to achieve lasting and important results - a reliable water supply and improved confidence among all."

The United Kingdom has contributed 160,000 euros as part of the OSCE-led programme, which includes 20 other international donors and the Georgian Government.

The project included several village reservoirs, four water pipelines with a total length of more than 12 kilometres, and 46 communal taps. In some villages, local authorities using their own resources to add more taps.

"The projects for safe and readily available drinking water are of vital importance, and I am thankful that the construction work proceeded unhindered and was completed on schedule," said the OSCE Chief Engineer, Karl Stroebl.