OSCE States agree up to 100 monitors to Georgia

VIENNA, 19 August 2008 - The 56 OSCE participating States agreed to increase the number of OSCE monitors in the Mission to Georgia to 100 at a special meeting of the Permanent Council in Vienna today.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, proposed last week to increase the number of military monitoring officers by up to 100 to monitor the agreed ceasefire and support humanitarian assistance.

"International monitoring of the agreed ceasefire and of the humanitarian situation is urgently needed. The OSCE has extensive experience on the ground in the region and is well-placed to respond swiftly. Some of the details must still be worked out, but the agreed increase in the number of monitors will enable the OSCE to help stabilize the situation and support international relief efforts," said Aleksi Harkonen, the head of Finland's OSCE Chairmanship task force, in Vienna today.

The decision agreed by the OSCE Permanent Council calls for 20 unarmed military monitoring officers to be deployed immediately to "areas adjacent to South Ossetia", with the specifics for the remaining monitors to be discussed further.

The Chairman-in-Office has expressed grave concern about the safety and welfare of civilians, and will continue to follow the situation carefully.

The OSCE Mission to Georgia has some 200 staff, including eight unarmed military monitoring officers. The OSCE Mission has been present on the ground since 1992, with a field office in Tskhinvali since 1997. The additional monitors will be recruited from the 56 OSCE participating States.