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OSCE Earns Unsavory Reputation:
"Is Peace a Pipedream?" |
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| By Jeffrey Silverman |
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Prague, 13 March 2003 (RFE/RL) "The three independent states in the South Caucasus region - Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan - have a geostrategic importance that far outweighs their modest size " This conclusion is almost a given in any discussion that this is a part of the world where the interests of business and politics struggle. Moreover, many consider the region the hotbed where many vested interests are making a line in the sand. Given the framework of political and economic statecraft it is obvious that peace and stability are not in the best interests of many of the key players.
While most analysis look at the larger moves of the power players, this article also seeks to look at the moves of key actors involved at the micro-level. Many organizations
and private interests are involved in the future of the region, but such programs and policy initiatives are often involved in orchestrating the moves. This begs the question, "Can
international organizations actually do much to help in achieving started goals of conflict resolution and regional stability?"Azerbaijan Today's representativein Georgia, Jeffrey
Silverman, has carefully discussed the situation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as part of a series of investigative reports on corruption in
international organizations.
The Georgian anti-terrorism unit and confidential sources within OSCE confirm that OSCE has fired Col Aleksandr Turushkin (Russian Federation) in late November 2002. Col Alex
Tutushkin, GRU/OSCE officer and was implicated by security forces investigative reporters in the trafficking of weapons, falsifying flight records, and making payments to
arms traders.Turushkin attained notoriety last year when Georgian human rights organizations first identified him as the driving force behind another kind of trafficking
operation in close cooperation with some highly placed members of the Georgian Border Guards, this one involving NIS women and fake passports.
Officially, OSCE contends his departure is due to the ending of his tour duty in November 2002. However, this is clearly fiction; he was terminated with an order from OSCE Mission Headquarters in
Vienna, Austria. His short-notice dismissal followed a series of outrageous episodes involving dirty deals and intelligence gathering activities. In spite of the fact
that the local Danish Chief of Party being blackmail over a weekend to a Georgian winter resort was no longer disposed to accept the many "transgressions," OSCE felt
it was impossible to continue turning a blind eye for the sake of diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. Suspicion of corruption began to grow when
incidents of border violations and the crossing of Chechen fighters back and forth across the Russian-Chechen border went unreported and underreported in
official documents. It also appeared that key intelligence reports were being "doctored" before submission to OSCE Headquarters in Vienna to not show the
true activities of the Russian military and border guards along the Georgian-Russian international border.
Col Alex Turushkin's dismissal came at a time when his power inside OSCE was greater than ever. He had almost achieved a long-standing ambition of fitting a co-worker of his from the Georgian
Border Guards as the Deputy Security Office for OSCE. He felt he could do anything, now that he controlled the highly lucrative routes for Russian
weapons and the "gatekeepers" of the Georgian border. His motivations, however, may not have been personal gain but as a well thought out game
play to cause regional instability, which was an integral part of the Russian effort to block the environmentally and socially controversial
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project.
Good Riddance
One could think good riddance to Col Turushkin, but there is an interesting twist to
this story that was likely the final straw - not even considering trafficking, falsifying flight records and acting as the bagman for
financial payoffs. It was Turushkin who was on duty when 13 Chechens surrendered to the Georgian Border Guards last year. He turned
their pictures over to the Russian FSB, which is the main KGB successor agency. Turushkin is said by several sources to be a
well-placed agent of the Russian GRU (Military Intelligence). Did OSCE strike a deal with Russian authorities in providing the necessary materials for them to make book on the alleged criminal histories of some of these Chechen fighters?
A Tbilisi court ruled on May 14, 2002 to extradite 2 of the 3 detained Chechens to the Russian Federation.The third member of the group
was recognized as a refugee registered in Georgia and in accordance with the international law, he will be tried in Georgia. Other Chechens who surrendered last year have already been turned over to Russian authorities in the shadow of the public and
outcry over the circumstances and possible human rights violations.
International Law
It is difficult to determine which parts of international law Georgia and OSCE recognize or do not recognize today, but it is certainly is a clear violation of international law to extradite soldiers to their enemy after they have given themselves up to a third (non-belligerent) party. Not to mention, according to human rights organizations, that the extradition of Chechens to the Russian Federation is the same as a death sentence. Regardless of the ledger of guilt and innocence, the main challenge for the establishment of an effective border control system for Georgia and Azerbaijan is how to bring accountability and transparency into their operations. Many are asking if OSCE can be the organization that replaces the unsuccessful efforts of the United Nations in several regional conflicts. This is especially important at a time when many are questioning the future of the UN as a result of recent resolutions and the Iraq Crisis. Somehow OSCE must redefine its mission and develop ways of understanding cultural differences and consistently turn these differences into assets.
It is obvious why many people perceive the larger games being played by such organization as OSCE in the region as but carefully orchestrated moves on the grand chessboard that is the Caucasus. The point that the international community and OSCE appear to overlook or downplay in the analysis is that many can influence the process but peace and conflict resolution is a homegrown commodity.
However, this is difficult as Georgian and Azeri officials will readily concede. The border regions between the Caucasus and Russia are very porous. Inconsistently controlled borders are exacerbated by the presence of the Russian military and the uncontrolled regions within the legal boundaries of Georgia and Azerbaijan. OSCE should understand that it would take more to assist in the enforcement of international borders and to achieve territorial integrity for Georgia and Azerbaijan. Unresolved conflicts in Georgia and Azerbaijan are further undermined by arms trafficking and transit routes for drugs.
Final Thoughts
It is not easy to accomplish anything in the Southern Caucasus in light of the many layers of political, economic and hidden agendas in the region. Many unresolved conflicts within the individual states are no closer to the final solution, and attention is directed to whether the oil wealth of the region will be used for state building or will mostly end up in the pockets of the select few. Most of the efforts of conflict resolution have been top-down approaches that often overlook the greater games being played out, and many people readily conclude that peace and stability in the Caucasus is something spoken about but seldom taken to heart - especially the political leadership in the region. One thing is clear in the final analysis: "the weakness of smaller states allows larger states and business interests to use them against one another." The future of this region must come from within the region and not from outside cut and paste policies. The end result will likely be decided by factors of limited resources, political goals and the world price of oil.
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