MOSCOW. Feb 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The co-chairmen of the Joint Control Commission for settling the Georgian-Ossetian conflict will meet in early March to discuss the pace of conflict zone demilitarization, South Ossetian Minister without Portfolio Boris Chochiyev told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
"We have made the proposal to discuss the demilitarization pace in the conflict zone between March 1 and 10 and all Joint Control Commission co-chairmen accepted it, as it will remove a series of mutual claims," said Chochiyev, who co-chairs the commission on behalf of South Ossetia.
The minister stressed that demilitarization of the conflict zone is taking place in compliance with the accords achieved at last year's meeting of the parties in Sochi. "However, the South Ossetian leadership is extremely dissatisfied with the Georgian party's demilitarization pace," he said.
"The Georgian party continues placing additional police posts in the conflict zone without clearance with the peacekeeping command and South Ossetian leaders, it is reluctant to destroy fortifications erected in the conflict zone in summer last year, it also continues training reservists in the village of Dzevera in the Gori district, which is within the conflict zone, and also in the immediate proximity of the zone's borders," Chochiyev stressed.
"If the placement of the posts contributed to security, it could be understood, but on the contrary, they escalate tensions. For instance, the posts near the Georgian villages of Kekhvi and Tamarasheni openly extort money from locals," he said.
At the same time, Chochiyev admitted that Georgia has some claims to South Ossetia, too.
"We should discuss everything sincerely and outline the measures that will help remove tensions and conduct real demilitarization of the conflict zone," he said.
The Joint Control Commission is co-chaired by representatives of both conflicting parties, as well as by representatives of Russia and its internal republic of North Ossetia.