TBILISI. Dec 26 (Interfax-AVN) - The unrecognized republic of South Ossetia has called upon OSCE, the mediator in the talks on the settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian armed conflict of 1989- 1992, to urge Tbilisi to speed up the talks in 2004.
"All positive proposals put forward by South Ossetia and Russian mediators have not so far been embraced by Georgian leadership," South Ossetian president Eduard Kokoyty told Interfax-Military News Agency Friday.
He said that, in particular, South Ossetia had repeatedly suggested that the Georgian and South Ossetian ministers of interior meet within the framework of the Mixed Control Commission to step up cooperation in fighting crime in the region but the talks were always disrupted by Georgia.
Kokoyty expressed hope that head of the OSCE mission to Georgia Ambassador Roy Stephen Reeve would urge Georgia to implement previously developed settlement plans in 2004.
He emphasized that such hope had come to him after meeting acting Georgian president Nino Burdzhanadze and state minister Zurab Zhvania who revealed intention to step up the settlement efforts at a political level.
According to Reeve, there is a possibility of bilateral senior-level meetings and multilateral talks also involving Russia.
He said that new personalities in the Georgian leadership could give an impetus to the work of the Mixed Control Commission involving Georgia, South Ossetia, North Ossetia, and Russia.