2009-06-24

On 21 June, a bomb attack was launched against a European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) patrol in Georgia, killing one person. The incident is a sign of the general rise in tension around the conflict zones in Georgia, which has been observed since mid-June.

An ambulance which accompanied the car carrying observers from the European Union Monitoring Mission drove into a landmine during a patrol near the administrative border with the separatist Republic of Abkhazia; the ambulance driver was killed. The circumstances of the incident rule out the possibility of an accident. Hansjörg Haber, the head of the mission, said that the incident was a deliberate assault against the EUMM patrol, and promised a thorough investigation. This has been the most serious incident involving EU observers so far.

Several incidents in the immediate neighbourhood of the conflict zones have happened over the past two weeks in Georgia (including bombings at the railway station in Zugdidi, close to Abkhazia, and shooting on the frontier between Georgia and the separatist republic of South Ossetia). It must be emphasised that the growing tension in the conflict regions -- which could result in a possible re-escalation of the conflicts, and even another war with Russia -- are absolutely contrary to Georgian interests. Therefore, it seems that the force behind the rise in tension on the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian frontiers is either Moscow directly, or certain circles in Russia who are interested in aggravating the situation and probably even in causing a new war with Georgia. The EU monitoring mission is the last instrument of Western control and presence in the area, following the liquidation of the OSCE mission in South Ossetia and the UN mission in Abkhazia, as well as a key element in improving the security of Georgia. <bart>

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