Dora Bakoyannis keeps her word

OSCE military observers will remain in Georgia till June 30 2009. This decision was taken by the OSCE Permanent Council on February 12.

"This decision to extend the mandate of the OSCE monitors shows, - RIA Novosti is quoting Dora Bakoyannis, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, - that all States agree that the Organization is a critical part of international efforts to secure lasting stability in the region."

According to Interfax one of the military monitoring officers' key tasks must be tracking and distribution of information on the security situation in Georgian districts close to the South Ossetian border to the OSCE member states as well as monitoring of Georgia's commitment to withdraw its troops and military equipment back to the cantonment areas as set forth in the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan.

By the way the monitoring of the "commitment" above is more urgent than ever. Russia's Foreign Ministry repeatedly called the attention of the world community to the Georgian military build-up on the border with South Ossetia. Besides the whole situation in the region has not grown better over the past half a year but tends to get even worse.

That is why giving its consent to the OSCE mission mandate extension Moscow primarily thought of security in the region, as the official statement of the Russian foreign office goes.

"This will contribute to promotion of security in the republic of South Ossetia that in August 2008 was affected by Georgian aggression. In view of the complicated situation in the near-border Georgian districts the Russian side considers the decision to be important and timely", - Interfax is quoting the statement.

Tbilisi too is content about the OSCE monitors' service extension. According to gazeta.ru it was pointed out in Georgia's Foreign Ministry welcoming the organization's decision: "The OSCE military observers must have an unhampered possibility to perform their duties pursuant to the mandate on the whole of Georgia".

Is the Georgian side suggesting the territory of South Ossetia here? It is quite possible. However according to Vzglyad newspaper the OSCE mandate extension in this form does not involve "other field decisions". That means the observers will remain only in the territory of the post-August Georgia. Further debates between official Tbilisi and the OSCE on territorial claims make no sense.

So at the end of the story with two Russian vetoes and titanic efforts of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office Dora Bakoyannis eventually - not a full stop - a comma is put. As hardly will the robust Greek woman want to stop at what has been achieved.

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