The humanitarian situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone will be one of the most important issues at talks that Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will hold in Georgia on Thursday.
Sources in the Finnish Foreign Ministry reported that the OSCE chief is going to Tbilisi on a one-day visit during which he will meet Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. He also intends to find out how the ceasefire agreements are fulfilled. Stubb will meet in Georgia with officials and military observers of the OSCE mission.
At present Finland as the country presiding in the OSCE is preparing the deployment of a mission of military observers in Georgia. Ten of then will be from Finland. According to Finnish press reports, the first observers will depart for Georgia together with Stubb and in the coming days will start the fulfilment of the preliminary duties before the arrival of the main contingent.
The observers the number of which is increasing under a decision of the OSCE Standing Council from eight to 100 people will be checking the fulfilment by all the sides of the ceasefire agreement and will control the humanitarian situation in South Ossetia. The decision in the soonest deployment of the mission was made based on a proposal submitted by the OSCE leadership and France that is currently presiding in the European Union.
