GEORGIAN OMBUDSMAN DISCUSSES RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TSALKA

Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 21 2006

Tbilisi. March 21 (Prime-News) - The Tuesday session of the Council
on Ethnic Minorities of the Ombudsman's Office of Georgia was
dedicated to the recent developments in the town of Tsalka of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region.

MP Van Baiburt, Zinaida Bestaeva, State Minister for Civil integration
and Davit Darchiashvili, Executive Director of Open Society Georgia
were attending the session.

According to Sozar Subari, Ombudsman, it is necessary to facilitate
dialogue between the parties. The murder in Tsalka was a pure crime,
but the following developments made it clear that that there are
serious problems in the region with regard to relationship of the
different ethnic groups, that might stir ethnic conflicts. That factor
makes attention by the government and society more necessary.

MP Van Baiburt said that some problems with regard to relation of
different ethnic groups definitely contribute to the ongoing tension.

He also surveyed the problems with regard to governance and said that
the tension must be eradicated by the central government, as the local
residents of Georgian origin do not discredit ethnic minorities in
the region.

The members of the Council also discussed negligence by the
Establishment, saying that the local population of the region lives in
extremely harsh economic conditions and there are no state programs
implemented in the region that could contribute to civil integration
of the ethnic minorities.

The members of the Council said that the issue on language for
record keeping was one of the most urgent. According to them, special
programs must be elaborated to sea to teaching of Georgian language
to the local residents, but it can take 5 or 10 years.

The representative of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Georgia
also discuss the murder of the young man of Armenian origin in Tsalka
and said that the law enforcements are doing their best to eradicated
violation of human rights for ethnic reasons and are ready to cooperate
with the Office of Ombudsman.

The members of the Council on Ethnic Minorities are to visit the
region, which is mainly populated with Armenians, and will study the
issue on the spot.