South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity proposed on December 12 to develop a joint “three-stage” plan for resolution of the South Ossetian conflict. He said that the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) - involving the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and Russia’s North Ossetian sides - would play a leading role in development of the Georgian-Ossetian peace program. Furthermore, the three-stage plan unveiled by Kokoity, which completely coincides with Tbilisi's recent peace initiatives, should be developed by the parties involved in the conflict resolution.

“Since the plans about the Georgian-Ossetian conflict settlement that are proposed unilaterally do not yield positive results, I deem it necessary to start joint development of a Georgian-Ossetian program,” Eduard Kokoity said in an official statement addressed to the Russian and Georgian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as the heads of OSCE member states.

This statement came as “a surprise” to Tbilisi. “We have received a surprise letter from South Ossetian de facto leader Eduard Kokoity, in which he proposes the Presidents of Georgia, Russia and OSCE member states to launch activities over a joint peace plan. We find it rather important that the key provisions of the letter coincide with the peace plan unveiled by President Saakashvili in 2004 at the UN General Assembly session, which was consequently submitted to the OSCE Permanent Council and was finally supported at the OSCE Ministerial in Ljubljana last week,” Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said at a news briefing on December 13.

This statement was published by the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee when Russian chief negotiator for South Ossetian conflict Valery Kenyaikin was visiting the breakaway region’s capital Tskhinvali on December 12. The Russian diplomat arrived in Georgia on December 8 to participate in the session of the Joint Control Commission, however the session was cancelled, because, as the Georgian side put it, Tbilisi was not informed about it in advance. 

Valery Kenyaikin has already welcomed Kokoity’s proposal over the development of a joint program, describing it as “a new approach.”

“The South Ossetian political leadership has submitted a new approach for conflict resolution, which means that the act alone practice should be rejected and the development of a joint Georgian-Ossetian program should be launched,” the Russian diplomat told Mze television.

South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity proposed setting up a working group by 1 February 2006 within the framework of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) over developing this program, which, as he put it, should include a three-stage scheme of settlement, which should be approved by the parties involved in the resolution of the conflict.

All three stages of the plan unveiled by the South Ossetian leader completely coincide with Tbilisi’s proposals. Both plans call for demilitarization of the conflict zone, confidence building and security guarantees during the first stage; social-economic rehabilitation at the second stage; and a political settlement during the last stage.

The points stressed by this new plan include: 

- the necessity for urgent talks between the heads of different law-enforcement agencies and power structures within the frames of the Joint Control Commission in order to coordinate actions in the conflict zone;
- holding talks between parliamentarians, representatives of civil society organizations, intelligentsia and the clergy;
- setting up an informal structure for assisting the JCC which may include the possible participation of representatives of legislative bodies of the parties involved in conflict resolution; 
- undertaking practical steps towards the development of a plan over the Zone on Economic Preference, which [beside South Ossetia itself] could also include the Alagiri district of Russia’s North Ossetia Republic and the Gori district [a central Georgian district which borders the breakaway region];
- promoting the implementation of EC and OSCE-funded economic projects in the conflict zone;
- political-legal assessment of events between 1989-92 and 2004;
- development and adoption of a law on restitution by Georgia;
- the sides are committed not to build up their offensive potential and should not use armed forces in the zone of conflict.

In order to start working over this joint program the South Ossetian leader offered to hold a meeting of authorized representatives of the sides within the frames of the JCC with the participation of OSCE before February 15, 2006.

Eduard Kokoity also suggested to submit the agreed draft program to the working group for approval by March 1, 2006.

The South Ossetian leader stressed that such a joint program could become the basis for discussion during the talks among the heads of the participating states.