Canada supports irrigation channel repair in Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone

TBILISI, 12 November 2002 - An OSCE-initiated programme of collective compensation for weapons voluntarily handed over is well underway: The 35-km Trifoni irrigation channel in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone will be repaired within the next few weeks starting from today.

"We are happy that our programme is very actively supported by the international community - Canada is going to finance the repair works on this irrigation channel running through Georgian and Ossetian villages," said Ivar Vikki, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia.

The programme began earlier this year with the distribution of computers for a secondary school in Tskhinvali in exchange for 36 anti-tank missiles. Later in the summer, a first irrigation channel was repaired with financial assistance from the United Kingdom.

"Canada supports the important work done by the OSCE and the Joint Peace Keeping Forces responsible for the collection and subsequent destruction of the arms. It is their efforts that helps to build bridges between the Georgian and Ossetian communities", said Giles Norman, representative of the Canadian Embassy in Ankara.

Since the programme of voluntary hand over of arms started, more than 1.500 have been handed over to the JPKF.