11 April 2003
U.S. Pleased By Continued Putin-Shevardnadze Dialogue
(April 10, Vienna: Stephan Minikes to OSCE Permanent Council) (780)
The United States is pleased by the continued constructive dialogue
between Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and Russian President
Vladimir Putin and urges both governments "to do everything in their
power to reflect and reinforce the goodwill shown by their leaders,"
said American diplomat Stephan M. Minikes.
Minikes, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), recently visited Georgia with other OSCE
ambassadors. In remarks to the Permanent Council in Vienna April 10,
he discussed the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, border
security, and Georgia's parliamentary elections, which are scheduled
for October.
Following is his full statement:
(begin transcript)
United States Mission to the OSCE
Vienna
April 10, 2003
REGARDING THE VISIT OF OSCE AMBASSADORS TO GEORGIA
Delivered by Ambassador Stephan M. Minikes to the Permanent Council
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to join the Greek Ambassador, speaking on
behalf of our European Union colleagues, in thanking the Georgian
government for its gracious hospitality during the visit to Georgia in
which many of us participated two weeks ago. I am equally grateful for
the efforts made by Ambassador Burduli and his staff here in Vienna,
by the OSCE Mission in Georgia under the leadership of Ambassador
Lacombe, including the Border Monitoring Operation led by General
Rietfeld, and by Ambassador Tagliavini and her UN staff in Georgia.
As I have shared with many of you around this table before, I believe
that a first-hand visit is the best and only way to fully understand
the situation and circumstance that the OSCE faces in the various
participating States where we maintain our field presences and once
again, hope our colleagues will visit the OSCE missions elsewhere,
such as in Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo, and I will do with
Moldova next week.
Our discussion with President Shevardnadze was indeed remarkable, and
I believe I speak for all of the participants when I thank him in
return for devoting so much of his own time to meet with us.
Mr. Chairman, the United States fully supports the efforts of the OSCE
and other mediators to find a resolution to the conflict in South
Ossetia. I agree with my colleagues that there may be room for
optimism in the Baden process, renewed and revitalized most recently
during the meetings in Castelo Branco. The United States urges the
parties and mediators involved to capitalize on this momentum and
continue their search for a mutually acceptable, comprehensive
political settlement that respects the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Georgia.
With reference to Abkhazia, the United States, as a member of the
Friends of the Secretary General, maintains its commitment to the
Geneva process, including the recommendations put forward in Geneva on
February 19-20, 2003. We stand fully behind the efforts of Ambassador,
Tagliavini and her predecessors, including our colleagues here,
Ambassadors Boden and Bota; to mediate between the parties on the
basis of the document "Basic Principles for the Distribution of
Competencies between Tbilisi and Sukhumi."
We are pleased that the constructive dialogue between Presidents Putin
and Shevardnadze continues, most recently during their meeting in
Sochi. We urge both governments to do everything in their power to
reflect and reinforce the goodwill shown by their leaders.
Mr. Chairman, as we have made clear on numerous occasions, the United
States supports strongly the ongoing activities of the Border
Monitoring Operation in Georgia, including the current expansion to
include the Dagestan sector and the upcoming enhancement program.
During our visit to the BMO Patrol Bases, I was very pleased to meet
with American and other monitors and hear their personal views on the
situation along the border and on the operation as a whole. These
hardy, committed people in the field, from some 30 participating
States, represent the best that the OSCE has to offer, and they all
deserve our praise and thanks.
Finally, I join my Greek colleague in urging the Georgian authorities
to take all possible measures to ensure that the October 2003
parliamentary elections meet OSCE electoral standards. The United
States views democracy as integral to national security. The
parliamentary elections present an opportunity to move forward on
democratization and enhance stability. Among the immediate needs, we
believe it essential that the Government of Georgia promptly establish
fair, independent and transparent election administration procedures
and prepare accurate voter registers.
In closing, I would like to thank once again all those who played a
part in organizing our trip to Georgia, and thank my colleagues for
their camaraderie and fellowship during the visit.
Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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