HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY CO-CHAIRS OF GENEVA DISCUSSIONS

The three Co-Chairs of the Geneva Discussions, Pierre Morel the Special Representative of the European Union; Marco Bianchini, Team Leader, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations; and Bolat Nurgaliev, Special Envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office updated the press this afternoon in Geneva on the outcome of the ninth round of the Geneva Discussions that was held today at the Palais des Nations.

Mr. Morel said that the Co-chairmanship had changed a bit but was still based on the three organizations which presided the Geneva Discussions, namely the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union.

Reading out the press release of the Co-chairs, Mr. Morel said the participants in the Geneva Discussions had completed their ninth round. The two parallel working groups had met to discuss, respectively, security and stability and humanitarian matters. They had also agreed to continue their discussions in the same format on 30 March 2010.

Working Group I had reviewed the overall security situation since the last round of Discussions. Whilst the situation had been assessed as relatively calm, sporadic incidents, in particular shootings and detentions remained a matter of concern, said Mr. Morel. The Co-chairs had noted that these incidents should be addressed through the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs) that were established in February 2009. Further work was underway to facilitate the full functioning of these mechanisms.

In this light, the Co-Chairs had also underscored the importance of the understanding on detentions, which had been reached upon by all participants at the IPRMs in the course of last summer said Mr. Morel. Notably that any unintentional crossing by local residents outside of the established crossing point should be dealt with in an administrative way rather than through legal or criminal procedures, in order to allow for a quick resolution and prompt release of such detainees. The Co-chairs further recalled that the common objective with regard to the other detained person imprisoned under conditions to be reviewed, had to remain the final release of “all against all”.

On the basis of the draft agreements that were put forward by the participants on the document of the Co-Chairs on “Basic elements of a framework for an agreement on the non-use of force and international security arrangements”, that was discussed at Geneva VIII, and the Co-chairs’ paper on Interim steps, participants had exchanged views on a framework for a non-use of force agreement and international security arrangements. They had also recognized that these major subjects were the aim of future work in Working Group I and would need further committed efforts and consultations, said Mr. Morel. At the same time they had also recognized the need for a goof functioning of the mechanisms in order to work on non-use of force and international security arrangements. Participants had supported a bottom-up and step-by-step approach as the way forward.

Turning to Working Group II, Mr Morel said that participants had continued their discussion on proposal of the co-moderators for “Agreed Undertakings”. The resumption of gas deliveries was being address as a matter of urgency. A series of projects on the rehabilitation of water distribution networks had been discussed. Work on theses issues would intensify under the aegis of the Kazaks OSCE Chairmanship.

Assessing today’s session, Mr. Morel said all of this showed that the substance of the Geneva Discussions was becoming more and more precise with each session. The discussions in Working Group II had had problems in the past but they were now on track. Today’s session had been both difficult and dynamic. Despite some difference of positions, it was still possible to identify specific areas of work and to work on concrete humanitarian measures, without necessarily abandoning more ambitious political projects.

Mr. Nurgaliev said that, from the point of view of the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship, today’s ninth round of Geneva Discussion could be described as an important step in sustaining stability in the Caucasus region. What was crucial was to help restore people’s hope and confidence in their own future. They needed to be creative and agree on interim steps as a permanent security arrangement might take some time to elaborate. The OSCE Chairmanship had put forward proposals with regard to the resumption of gas supply and water distribution networks. The motto of the Kazakh OSCE chairmanship: tradition, trust, tolerance and transparency would be 100 per cent relevant in the context of the Geneva Discussion.

Mr. Bianchini, making additional remarks, said that while progress might seem slow in the Geneva Discussions, it was still a difficult and complicated process, not only because the participants had strong differing views on questions of principle. It was most critical that the dialogue continued and that all participants continued to engage in a constructive manner.

The IPRMs was a useful instrument, which allowed them to make a number of important things, such as addressing the security-related concerns of all of the participants to prevent future incidents through dialogue, transparency and exchange of information; to address the needs of the local population; to build relationships and confidence between and among the participants, thereby contributing to the improvement of the overall security situation and a more conducive environment for the Geneva Discussions, said Mr. Bianchini. It was still a long and difficult road, but they invited all participants to remain committed to the overall process.

Questions & Answers

Answering a question by a journalist on what steps had been developed with regard to internally displaced persons and refugees, Mr. Morel said those matters were still on the agenda and were still under discussions.

Answering on a question whether the Incident Prevention Mechanism for South Ossetia was operational or not, Mr. Morel said that this mechanism had not met since the end of October. This was an issue of concern, which had been discussed today. They would look into how to restore that in the near future. He however noted that the emergency hotlines were still up and running.