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PACE could deprive Russia of voting rights over South Ossetia

RIA Novosti

14:49 17/09/2009 MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will discuss depriving Russia of its voting rights over last year's events in South Ossetia at its autumn session, the Russian delegation head said on Thursday.

Last week, 72 PACE members from the 642-body signed a motion that could see Russia lose its voting rights over the country's failure to comply with a resolution on the former republic of South Ossetia. The proposal was not adopted, but is due to be discussed at the autumn session, starting September 28.

"The voting rights issue proposed by 72 PACE members is expected to be discussed on Wednesday September 30," Konstantin Kosachyov said.

The Eurasianet.org website quoted a statement as saying, "not only has Russia refused to withdraw its unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but it has established military, legal and diplomatic links with [the] de facto regimes."

Kosachyov said the Russian delegation would leave the session if parliamentary members vote to deprive Russia of its voting rights, even if the move is temporary.

"If they deprive us from voting, we will leave Strasbourg on Wednesday and will not return to PACE until the decision has been reviewed," Kosachyov said. "If the decision is negative, we will continue working at the PACE session," he said.

The motion will need the backing of the majority of those present to pass.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war after Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia on August 8 last year in an attempt to regain control over the breakaway republic. In response, Russia launched a military operation to eject Georgian troops from the region and then recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway republic.

PACE adopted last autumn a resolution on the situation around South Ossetia, calling on Russia to retract its August 26, 2008 recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia has refused to comply.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia split from Georgia in the early 1990s, and most residents of both republics have had Russian citizenship for a number of years.