Two European missions in Georgia with the same objective: to observe
(B2) There will indeed be a exploratory mission of the EU - under the Europe of Defense - who will leave immediately for Georgia, as a "scout" for a more comprehensive EU observation mission. So decided the European Council, meeting in an extraordinary way, today September 1 in Brussels. Objective: "to contribute to the collection of information and to specify the methods of a reinforced engagement of the European Union on the ground". Both missions should be civilian defense missions. Its members may, however, be both civilian and military experts. The budget will be financed by the European Union. Around 40 people are expected to attend. Some are already on the ground, alongside the special representative - under the "border special team" responsible for training Georgian border guards - or as political advisers. Others will soon join them. The 27 have decided to speed things up for the "observation mission" (EUMM) proper which could eventually include several hundred observers, according to Javier Solana. A possible commitment decision could be taken by the Council of Foreign Ministers, as early as September 15. This is very fast at European level. This will make it possible to prepare an "Action municipality" and to begin the deployment of observers in the process, in November for example. The objective is that before the end of the year, the mission can be in place. It is important because it is of the establishment of this mission that can end the "additional security measures" - which poison the whole diplomatic atmosphere - and the presence of the Russians in "Georgian" Georgia This mission will come to reinforce and complete the manpower of the OSCE.
OSCE side, about 28 observers are present (including 13 from the EU, including 2 Finns, 2 French). Eventually there should be a hundred. But the establishment and deployment of the following 72 is still the subject of negotiations with the Russians who quibble on this or that point. Since yesterday, Sunday, 2 observers have been able to arrive in South Ossetia, near Akhalgori, in the area of Georgian villages in South Ossetia.
Why two missions that seem to have the same objectives? These two missions do not have the same obligations. An EU mission can quite easily evolve in its mandate, take on additional tasks (we see this in Palestine, where the "Police" mission now extends to prisons), increase its staff, resort to collaborations of third countries (United States and Swiss in Kosovo, Russians in Chad, South Americans in Bosnia, etc.), to deploy in other regions. All of this in a fairly flexible manner, simply by decision of the appropriate body at European level, depending on the case, this may be the Council of Ministers (sometimes by simple written procedure), or the Security Policy Committee (the political ambassadors foreign country), or even the head of mission (if he has received a prior mandate). If the human and material resources are there, the purely legal decision is often quick. For the OSCE, a multinational organization, it is more delicate, every decision is weighed and above all political. Moreover, it is subject to the agreement of the Russians - a stakeholder in the organization. In short, the EU civilian defense mission could, if necessary, replace the OSCE mission. The Russians know this and are caught in their own "international reputation" trap. Willy-nilly they will have to accept either an OSCE mission or an EU mission, or even both... It will take a few weeks perhaps. But it will progress...
(NGV)
Photo credit: OSCE - OSCE vehicles at Tbilisi airport, 22 August.
