Mar 23, 2007

Abkhazia: EU Representative Proposes Greater Involvement


Peter Semnebey, EU special representative to the South Caucasus, has announced a new plan to deepen EU involvement in Georgia's separatist conflicts.

Below is an extract from an article written by Ekaterina Basilaia, published by The Messenger;

Peter Semnebey, EU special representative to the South Caucasus, has announced a new plan to deepen EU involvement in Georgia's separatist conflicts, EUobserver reported on March 20. The 15-point plan envisages different approaches to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, respectively.

For Abkhazia, Semneby's plan focuses on European Commission (EC)-funded cultural programmes, such as an EU information centre in Sokhumi, and later widening the official UN-led negotiating format for conflict resolution to include an EU representative as an observer or full participant. The plan also calls for new customs structures to legitimise trade with both the unrecognised entities to help end the culture of isolation and smuggling prevalent today.

According to the plan, the focus on cultural programmes is "designed to show the Abkhaz people what they are missing as the Georgian economy blossoms and integrates with the west," the report says.

Furthermore, Semneby's plan envisages sending two senior EU police experts to Tbilisi to aid the Georgian border officials to communicate with the United Nations Observer Mission In Georgia (UNOMIG) border mission in Abkhazia

In addition, Semneby does not rule out the possibility of sending EU peacekeepers to the conflict zones to replace Russian peacekeeping mission there, but only if "Russia and the separatists ever agree to such a move."

The idea of possibly replacing Russian peacekeepers in Georgia's conflict zones was mentioned by EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana in February after meeting President Saakashvili. "We [the EU] are ready to help Georgia and participate in such an operation, if necessary," Solana said on February 27.

In South Ossetia, the EU draft focuses on monitoring alleged Russian arms smuggling through the Roki Tunnel, which links the breakaway region with Russia. The proposal suggests extending the mandate of the EU border assistance mission, at present consisting of nine people who are in Georgia to observe any kind of arms transportation through the Roki Tunnel. In addition, the proposal discussing using satellites to take continuous streams of high-resolution pictures of Roki traffic once the EU has the technology to do this.

However, talking with the EUobserver, Semneby noted that the EU is not aiming for any formal role in conflict settlement right now, but the only thing they want to achieve is to move the situation away from the brink of hostilities.

"We should not be too ambitious here," Semneby told EUobserver.

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