SEPARATIST S OSSETIA CELEBRATES ‘INDEPENDENCE’
By Giorgi Vashakidze and Susanne Gentz in Tbilisi

ISN, Switzerland
Sept 19 2005

ISN SECURITY WATCH (19/09/05) – The breakaway republic of South
Ossetia on Monday began celebrations for the 15th anniversary of its
“independence” from Georgia, in a ceremony that turned out to be a
gathering of separatist leaders from across the region and beyond,
provoking anger from Tbilisi.

The de-facto leader of the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia,
Sergei Bagapsh, attended the ceremony, as did delegations from
Moldova’s separatist region of Transdniester and Azerbaijan’s
Armenian-occupied breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Notably,
representatives from the Russia State Duma (the lower house of
parliament) were also expected to attend.

The de-facto president of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, announced
that the republic would sign a cooperation agreement on Tuesday with
Abkhazia on economic, cultural, and science exchanges.

In an interview with Russia’s Vremya Novostei newspaper last
Friday, Kokoity accused Georgian special services of masterminding a
provocation against Georgian peacekeepers stationed in the conflict
zone to initiate conflict on the eve of celebration.

Kokoity dismissed Tbilisi’s peace proposal to grant broad autonomy to
South Ossetia within Georgia as lacking constructivism and as a mere
“PR campaign” to please Western countries.

On Sunday, Kokoity agreed with the leader of Russia’s North Ossetian
republic, Teimuraz Mamsurov, to set up a commission to draft a
comprehensive bilateral agreement on “special relations” between
North and South Ossetia. The newly appointed Mamsurov responded by
suggesting that his republic annex Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia.

“I think that there is only one possible way. Ossetia is a divided
nation, which was split within one country [Soviet Union]. That’s
why there can be no other option than reunification,” he was quoted
as saying.

In an interview with ISN Security Watch on Monday, Georgia’s Minister
for Conflict Resolution Issues Giorgi Khaindrava said: “Any person
crossing the territory of Georgia without state permission must be
considered a criminal and face sanctions according to Georgian law.”

“Kokoity and his government can join whatever country they want,
whether Russia or China does not matter, but the Tskhinvali [South
Ossetia] region is and will remain an integral part of Georgia,”
he said, adding that joining Russia was a “political illusion” that
served to keep the local population appeased.

Dr. George Khutsishvili, head of the Tbilisi-based International
Center on Conflicts and Negotiations think tank, told ISN Security
Watch on Monday that the Russians had far-reaching plans to create a
“small CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States]” comprising Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, Transdniester, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

He said Bagapsh’s visit to South Ossetia for the celebrations was
“no surprise”. “They [the governments of Abkhazia and South Ossetia]
have been traveling to and fro for the last couple of years simply
to show how much they support each other,” he said.

Georgia and South Ossetia were at war from 1990 until 1992, when
the Georgian government was forced to accept a ceasefire with the
separatists in order to avoid a confrontation with Russia. In a parting
shot, Tbilisi also decided to abolish the region’s autonomous status.

In June 2004, after the “Rose Revolution” that ousted veteran leader
Eduard Shevardnadze, the newly elected government under Mikhail
Saakashvili attempted to force Kokoity’s government out of office,
resulting in several clashes that claimed the lives of 17 Georgian
servicemen and an unknown number of Ossetian militiamen that same
month.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress