OSCE Permanent Council holds special meeting, Georgian Foreign Minister addresses delegations

VIENNA, 28 August 2008 - The OSCE Permanent Council convened for an extraordinary session today in Vienna to discuss the Georgian-Russian conflict, with Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili addressing the participating States.

"The OSCE has been very prompt in responding to the realities of the situation. The Chairmanship has been instrumental in facilitating the ceasefire agreement, and at the same time has committed itself for the monitoring and assurance of the implementation of the ceasefire as well," she said.

Minister Tkeshelashvili added that the modalities for the remaining military monitoring officers to be deployed to the OSCE Mission to Georgia have to be adequate to meet the needs on the ground.

Ambassador Antti Turunen, Permanent Representative of Finland to the OSCE and Chairman of the Permanent Council, said that the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship was in the process of negotiating the modalities for the additional monitors.

On 19 August, the Permanent Council decided to increase the number of military monitoring officers in Georgia by up to 100 and to deploy 20 monitors immediately in the areas adjacent to South Ossetia, with the specifics for the remaining monitors to be discussed further.

Following the 19 August decision there are 28 unarmed military monitoring officers at the OSCE Mission to Georgia. The Mission, which has some 200 staff, has been present on the ground since 1992, with a field office in Tskhinvali since 1997.