U.S. Envoys Report Progress in Russia-Georgia Peace Talks

Mediators in Geneva have successfully restarted peace talks between Russia and Georgia, says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, who urged sending more international monitors to the region to strengthen security and help refugees return home following the August 2008 conflict over the Moscow-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"We are dealing with a very tough set of problems and the situation on the ground is not good," Fried told reporters November 19. "Our challenge is to advance the Geneva process and to use that process to build confidence and to set up mechanisms to develop that confidence so we do not get into another cycle of tension and violence leading to catastrophe."

The United States participated in the talks, co-hosted by the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations. Unlike the first unsuccessful round of talks October 15, which were overshadowed by disagreements between Russia and Georgia on allowing the separatists to join in formal negotiations, EU negotiators led by Pierre Morel tried a new format that featured two informal working groups open to all parties and focused on addressing post-conflict security challenges and aiding displaced families.

Fried, who serves as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, praised the format change for markedly improving the negotiating atmosphere from the previous session. "This was the first occasion since the Russo-Georgian War in August that all of the parties had met face to face. Everyone was in the room," he said.

"I'd call this a quantum leap," agreed U.N. special envoy for Georgia Johan Verbeke. "All of the delegations did speak, all of the delegations listened."

"There are obviously deep differences about the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, about responsibility for the conflict. However, no person, no party tried to create a crisis," Fried said. "That is clearly an indication of sufficient good will to make progress."

All parties agreed on the need for improved security along the boundaries of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which have seen a steady stream of violent incidents in recent weeks, said Fried.

"There are militias, there are gangs, there are freelancers, there are all manner of people who can't seem to help themselves, just want to shoot." Fried said. "And it's important that the international community improve its ability to respond in real time to these incidents."

The 200 EU civilian cease-fire military monitoring observers deployed to the region to augment ongoing U.N. and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe observer missions are off to a good start, Fried said. But he also urged action to strengthen the monitoring missions and step up communications efforts aimed at settling disputes and preventing renewed clashes. "The more international presence we have in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in the rest of Georgia, the better off we are," Fried said.

International civilian monitors have been restricted from operating freely in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Moscow intends to maintain 7,600 troops as part of its new security arrangements with the two regions - a move that critics say violates EU-brokered withdrawal agreements calling for a return to pre-conflict positions.

In another sign of progress, all parties also agreed that improving security conditions and access for monitors must set the stage for a redoubling of efforts to help families displaced by the conflict return to their homes and rebuild their communities, said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza, who joined Fried at the Geneva talks.

"Distribution of assistance to internally displaced persons needs to be fair. It needs to be balanced. It needs to address the needs of anyone who was displaced by the conflict, regardless of what their ethnicity is," Bryza said, adding that greater access also could expedite international aid.

An estimated 160,000 people fled the August fighting, and an estimated 30,000 people in Georgia, as well as South Ossetia and Abkhazia, remain homeless, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

The United States joined 67 nations, international financial institutions and private-sector donors to deliver $4.55 billion for Georgia's recovery at an EU-sponsored donors' conference in Brussels, Belgium, October 22. The United States pledged a $1 billion nonmilitary recovery package aimed at helping Georgia meet immediate humanitarian needs and enhance economic stability. This nonmilitary aid package is in addition to nearly $40 million in emergency humanitarian assistance delivered to Georgia by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Defense Department during the August crisis.

The parties agreed to hold a third round of talks in Geneva December 17-18.

"There is a lot more to do," Fried said. "One good day doesn't make a settlement. It just gives us the chance to have other good days and keep moving forward."

A transcript of the Fried briefing ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2008/November/20081119164650eaifas0.65469.html ) is available on America.gov.

Source: U.S. Department of State