South Ossetia: decree of Georgian leader contradicts the Viennese Convention

Several days ago, the Georgian party announced that this April President M. Saakashvili signed a decree on denouncement of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Georgia on cooperation in restoring the economy in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, and in returning refugees home, dated December 23, 2000. South Ossetia and Russia think this decree to be illegitimate.

Mr Saakashvili's decree on terminating the Agreement between Russia and Georgia on joint recovery of the economy in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone contradicts the Viennese Convention and will not have any international consequences. This is the topic of the letter by Boris Chochiev, South Ossetian co-chairman of the Mixed Control Commission (MCC).

"The Georgian party," Mr Chochiev emphasizes, "without accounting the opinion of international experts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Venice Commission, has passed a broadly advertised law on restitution. The time elapsed after its adoption is enough to conclude its inviability."

Boris Chochiev has stated that so far not a single Ossetian refugee received any compensation of the lost property under this law. "At this background, the decree on cancellation of the 2000 Agreement, which had assumed also return of refugees, is very indicative of the unwillingness of Georgian leadership to return evicted Ossetian refugees back to Georgia," the MCC co-chairman's statement runs.