TSKHINVALI. April 29 (Interfax-AVN) - South Ossetian authorities have proposed a reform of the law-enforcement coordination center in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.
"The current coordination center does not make it possible to combat efficiently various crimes committed in the conflict zone and needs to be reformed," Boris Chochiyev, South Ossetian minister without portfolio and co-chairman of the Mixed Control Commission on the Georgian-Ossetian settlement, told Interfax- Military News Agency on Tuesday.
The center was established in late 2002. Law-enforcement agencies of Georgia and South Ossetia are represented in it by deputy interior ministers.
According to Chochiyev, "the center should involve officials from Russia and North Ossetia; it means that the center's format should be the same as of the Mixed Control Commission."
"Practice shows that criminals from Georgia and South Ossetia often escape to North Ossetia and other Russia territories and vice versa. The addition of Russian and North Ossetian officials to the center will help take quicker and more coordinated steps to detect and detain the criminals," Chochiyev noted.
The proposal was already submitted through the commission to all interested parties.
"The command of the Mixed Peacekeeping Forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone is positive about the initiative. It is supposed that participants in the next session of the Mixed Control Commission that is to take place in the Georgian town of Gori on May 14-17 will make their decision on the issue," Chochiyev added.