United States Sees "Small Step Forward" in Transnistria Talks
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Saturday, 05 November 2005 |
Washington File - Washington, DC, USA
Fulfill pledge to withdraw troops from Moldova, U.S. urges Russia
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- After a 15-month hiatus, negotiations between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria recently have made some progress.
The United States welcomed the opportunity to participate as an observer in the October 27-28 round of negotiations on the Transnistrian conflict and believes those talks marked a small step forward? toward a settlement, U.S. diplomat Sharon White told the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) November 3.
A narrow strip of Moldovan territory between the Dniester River and Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine, Transnistria declared independence in September 1991. Soon after, fighting broke out between the government forces and Transnistrians. The conflict was halted by Russian troops, which remain in the region despite Russian pledges at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit to withdraw them.
But like other Eurasian conflicts, the roots of the Transnistria problem reach further back, at least as far as 1924, when the Soviet Union established the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (M.A.S.S.R.) in the area to the east of the Dniester River that is now Transnistria. The area historically known as Bessarabia on the west side of the Dniester River came under the control of the newly renamed M.A.S.S.R. only after World War II.
Since 1992, talks concerning the status of Transnistria have continued, although they broke down in mid-2004 when Russian and Ukrainian-speaking separatists forcibly closed a Moldovan language school in Transnistria, threatened five other schools with closure, and then impeded international assistance to a local orphanage.
At the recently resumed talks, the United States and the European Union were present for the first time, although only as observers. Steven R. Mann, the State Departments senior adviser for Eurasia and special negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and Eurasian conflicts, represented the United States at the talks, which were held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Taking part in addition to the parties were representatives from the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine.
We believe the addition of both the United States and the EU to the talks will help the sides move forward in their pursuit of a peaceful settlement of the conflict that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova,? said White, the charge daffaires of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.
She said the United States was pleased that the sides were able to reach agreement on a number of issues, such as consultations on an international assessment mission to evaluate conditions for free and fair elections in Transnistria; the exchange of military information; and setting rough parameters for a factory-monitoring mission in Transnistria.
The two sides next meet on December 15-16 in Tiraspol, Transnistrias major city, and Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. We hope these talks signal the return of more frequent and productive discussions of the conflict,? said White.
The United States advocates a peaceful resolution of the conflict that supports the territorial integrity of Moldova. Such a resolution, the United States believes, will contribute to Moldovas democratic and economic development as well as to the security of the Black Sea region.
The United States has also repeatedly called on Russia to fulfill its commitments to withdraw its forces from Moldovan territory immediately and without precondition, as it promised to do at the 1999 Istanbul Summit.
In concluding her statement to the OSCE November 3, White said the United States again calls on Russia to resume withdrawal of its forces immediately and without precondition in fulfillment of its Istanbul Commitments, which is independent of the outcome of the settlement talks.?
We believe that a Russian decision to resume removing munitions in advance of the Ljubljana ministerial will send a strong signal of progress and good faith,? she said, referring to the OSCE Ministerial Council scheduled to take place in Ljubljana December 5-6.
Whites statement to the Permanent Council is available on the USOSCE Web site.
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