"Some Russian policymakers are already arguing that independence of Kosovo will allow Moscow to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
All quite interesting.
Moscow is in the process of reversing many aspects of the breakup of the Soviet Union and liberalization of Russia. The free press is gone. Electoral process apparently rigged. Legislature not a factor. Courts a tool of the administration.
Now they are partially reversing the breakup itself, subverting bordering nations to reassert a "semi-union".
In 1993, Golitsyn felt the breakup was a "fake". He overstated, but his insights are valid. The countries around Russia have been heavily seeded with Communist agents reporting to the KGB for decades, people now probably loyal to Putin and the FSB, for the most part. Communism is dead in Russia, but it's successor is not necessarily better for the US.
Dimitrij Rupel, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, calls last minute settlement negotiations for South Ossetia Following Georgia's presentation of a political settlement plan on South Ossetia to the OSCE Permanent Council, the Russian side has apparently enlisted the OSCE Chairmanship's assistance in derailing Georgian initiatives on that issue ahead of the OSCE's year-end ministerial conference. Anxious to avoid controversy at that upcoming event, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia urgently called a negotiating session, hoping to prepare some document that could rescue the year-end conference in Slovenia's capital from irrelevance or failure. Such rush has become a common practice in the run-up to the OSCE's year-end meetings, particularly on issues involving "frozen conflicts"; and it tends to take the form of concessions to Russia as the stronger side.
The Joint Control Commission (JCC), which oversees the ceasefire in South Ossetia, met on November 16-17 in Ljubljana in the 13 year-old format: Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia, and Russia's North Ossetia region (a ratio of 3:1 against Georgia) plus the OSCE as observer. Opening the session, Rupel startled the Georgian delegation by endorsing the "existing mechanism" (a familiar Moscow phrase opposing internationalization of the format) and suggesting a "highest-level meeting" of those four parties to discuss settlement negotiations and related issues. Russia's envoy, Valery Kenyaykin, then fleshed out Rupel's proposal by calling for an urgent meeting among Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, "president" Eduard Kokoiti of South Ossetia, and North Ossetia's head Taymuraz Mamsurov, to be held at Putin's residence in Sochi before the end of November (i.e., just days ahead of the OSCE's year-end conference) and to focus on political settlement issues. On cue, the South and North Ossetian delegates supported the proposal.
Rupel's and Moscow's proposal abruptly departed from the decision, reached at several JCC sessions (always in the OSCE's presence and with its approval, most recently in October 2005) on holding a meeting between Georgia's Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli and Kokoiti to discuss demilitarization of the "conflict zone" and economic rehabilitation of South Ossetia. The Georgians had all along insisted logically on demilitarization to be achieved ahead of political-settlement negotiations, and for those political negotiations to be held in an internationalized format, not the Russian-dominated JCC.
The Kenyaykin-Rupel proposal would: 1) cement the Moscow-dominated format and endow it with political functions beyond ceasefire-supervision; 2) counter Georgia's recent proposals for an internationalized format that would include the United States and the European Union; 3) avoid focusing on demilitarization, which Georgia (along with its Western friends) deems a prerequisite to political settlement negotiations; 4) try to rush through a conference-saving political document for the year-end meeting that could tie Georgia's hands; and 5) place the democratically elected president of Georgia on the same footing as Russian-installed authorities in Tskhinvali, implicitly seeking to legitimize the latter.
Rupel's implicit endorsement of Moscow's proposal in his opening remarks left the Georgians with the uneasy feeling of having been blindsided by a coordinated move by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the OSCE's Chairmanship. After delivering his remarks, Rupel exited the session, leaving behind a representative who failed to enlighten the startled Georgians about the reasons behind this abrupt departure from the JCC's earlier decisions.
Georgia's representative, State Minister for Conflict Resolution Giorgi Khaindrava, termed unaccepable any attempt at equating Georgia's President with a South Ossetian "president." Khaindrava attempted to speak about the first stage of Tbilisi's action plan for a political settlement, but he was loudly interrupted several times by South Ossetia's chief negotiator, Boris Chochiyev, who also managed to have the press evicted so as to deny Khaindrava a public audience.
The session lasted through the night (interrupted by walkouts) until the dawn hours and ended without results. "It proved once again that it is impossible to continue working in this format," Khaindrava concluded. The JCC's protocol recorded Georgia's call to internationalize the format and the other side's support for the "existing format" and a meeting of presidents in that same format.
In Tskhinvali, Kokoiti sarcastically urged Georgia to "discuss any proposals directly with South Ossetia, not America or Australia." He rejected the proposed internationalization of the negotiating format and insisted on maintaining the Russian "peacekeeping" operation in its existing form.
In Tbilisi, Parliamentary Chair Nino Burjanadze (citing a Russian proverb) characterized Moscow's policy as "brawn instead of brain" and asserted, "We will never regard Kokoiti as equal to our country's president. If the Russian side suggests to the international community that their president be considered equal to Kokoiti, it is their problem." Nogaideli declared that the Ljubljana meeting has again demonstrated the "JCC's incapacity" and the need for Western participation in the negotiations. Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili made public his telephoned remarks to Rupel that the JCC and "peacekeeping" formats have "totally exhausted any usefulness and must therefore be transformed."
Last month, the Georgian parliament gave Moscow until February 2006 to cooperate on unfreezing the political settlement process or, alternatively, face Georgian demands for withdrawal of Russian "peacekeeping" troops from Georgia's legally recognized sovereign territory in South Ossetia.
Abkhazia: Europe's Trap Door - "Wahhabi organizations have sprung up on the territory of Abkhazia, and where Wahhabis are, terrorists are not far behind."
Russia welcomes Balkans' integration into EU - "The role of the EU in the region will be constantly increasing until the issue of Balkans' integration in the European community is resolved."
Russia says UN should continue monitoring Kosovo - "Moscow has always advocated the key role of the UN in every stage of the Kosovo settlement."
Putin praises role of International Court of Justice - "The very existence of the International Court of Justice in the system of the United Nations is a major condition for the stability and lawfulness of the organization..."
**Russia signs International Criminal Court treaty!!!**
Russia Warns U.S. not to Break International Law in Afghan Attack
Russia Urges Respect for "International Law" With Al-Qa'idah Suspects
Iraq war unjustified: Putin - "Anything done without the sanction of the UN Security Council, cannot be accepted as just and justified."
Putin blasts US war in Iraq - "The use of force abroad, according to existing international laws, can only be sanctioned by the United Nations. This is the international law."
I hope US learns 'Iraqi lessons': Putin - "We have repeatedly called our American partners' attention to this reality. And eventually they realised the need to reach a political settlement in Iraq using the UN mechanisms. I believe that the new administration will undoubtedly bear in mind 'Iraqi lessons' when determining its foreign policy."
Putin Wants U.N. to Take Lead in Iraq
Russia's Putin urges US to give UN role in Iraq - "The faster we go along the path as set down by international law, the better it will be. The longer we delay a resolution within the U.N. framework, the more it will look like a colonial situation."
UN must lead global fight against terrorism -Putin
Putin meets Annan, praises global UN role - "We have no other effective mechanism for resolving international problems today."
Annan praises Putin as Russia formally accedes to Kyoto Protocol - "This is a historic step forward in the world's efforts to combat a truly global threat."
Putin Calls for Global Fight Against Terrorism Under UN Flag - a "new global constitution free of Cold War stereotypes"