Hammarberg not to deal with missing residents of South Ossetia

Investigation of the cases of missing citizens of South Ossetia has been commissioned to two international experts - Bruce Richard Pegg (Australia) and Nicolas Cebir (France). This was reported to journalists in Tskhinvali by Thomas Hammarberg, Supreme Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, who added that he will deal with the cases of prisoners.

"These are two different processes - one refers prisoners and the other - missing persons. They are not interconnected in any way. The experts will go on with disappearances; and I - as Commissioner - will try to release as many prisoners as possible. In such situations difficult moments happen; now is one of them," the Supreme Commissioner has noted.

Mr Hammarberg has advised the governments of Georgia and South Ossetia to give more attention to humanitarian issues, not political ones. "It would be better for decision-makers to see human issues and humane aspects before their political considerations," said Mr Hammarberg.

The Commissioner also noted that "basically, the Georgian and Ossetian parties have agreement to exchange "all for all". The problem is that their "alls" are interpreted differently.