HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THREE CO-CHAIRS OF THE GENEVA DISCUSSIONS FOLLOWING THE SIXTEENTH ROUND

The three Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions, Pierre Morel, Special Representative of the European Union, Antti Turunen, United Nations representative to the Joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism and the international discussions in Geneva on security and stability and the return of internally displaced persons and refugees, and Giedrius Cekuolis, Special Envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Chairperson-in-Office, held a press conference at the Palais des Nations this afternoon following the sixteenth round of the Geneva International Discussions.

Reading from their joint press release, Mr. Morel said that the participants of the Geneva International Discussions had completed their sixteenth session. In Working Group I, participants had reviewed the security situation on the ground, which was assessed as stable but unpredictable, with a potential for dangerous escalation due to highly worrying developments and incidents. The Co-Chairs underlined the need for renewed bilateral and collective efforts between participants in order to deescalate tension. On 6 June, a special information session had been held on the subject of non-use of force and international security arrangements.

In Working Group II, participants had reviewed the various aspects of the situation on the ground, including the situation of vulnerable populations. They had continued their discussions on the facilitation of returns and other durable solutions, and discussed approaches to strengthen livelihood. Participants were given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the end of displacement during a second information session on the subject. The participants of the Geneva International Discussions agreed to hold their next round on 4 October 2011.

Making additional comments, Mr. Morel noted the forthcoming third anniversary of the August 2008 war which had led to the beginning of the Geneva International Discussions. It was necessary to take stock of the security situation regularly and by so doing, they could not but note strong security concerns. The developments which had been seen had the potential to be dangerous. In fact, several people had been killed since the last round in March and there had been explosions and exchanges of shots, which underscored the need to reduce tensions.

Mr. Morel went on to say that the special information session on 6 June was an informal exercise and a precursor to today’s session, as well as a means to get experts on board for more in-depth considerations of subjects such as the non-use of force. While these information sessions were informal and the Co-Chairs did not necessarily take part, Mr. Turunen and himself had taken part this time. This was a useful exercise, but further progress was needed.

Mr. Turunen added that today’s discussions had focused on the security situation in the region, especially on reported incidents of a potentially terrorist nature. Despite steps forward in the framework of the incident prevention mechanism, progress remained fragile.

Mr. Cekuolis said that as well as calling on participants during today’s meeting to demonstrate political will, he had made an appeal that local residents who were being detained be released without delay. Mr. Cekuolis assured that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe continued to be engaged in the resolution of protracted conflicts and confidence-building measures.

Questions and Answers

Asked for concrete examples of incidents, Mr. Morel notably pointed to killings and shootings in mid-May. Such levels of casualties after two-and-a-half years of work were kind of a warning signal. The fact that the Co-Chairs had been crossing the lines on the ground showed that there was some stability, but there was a need for further to improve the elementary conditions of daily life. The Geneva International Discussions allowed all sides to work together.