Joint Control Commission is a necessity, formality or hindrance?

[Info-Prim Neo article from the series “20 years of the start of the war. When should we expect peace?”] The military operations performed during the armed conflict in Transnistria were stopped on the basis of the “Agreement on the principles of the peaceful settlement of the military conflict in the Transnistrian region of Moldova” that was signed in Moscow on July 21, 1992 by Moldova’s President Mircea Snegur and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin. After the signing of this agreement, on July 27 1992, there was created the Joint Control Commission (JCC) that was empowered to supervise the situation in the area where the conflict took place. It consists of nine members - by three delegates on behalf of Moldova, Russia and Transnistria. Ukraine and the OSCE Mission to Moldova have the status of observers within the Commission. [The Joint Control Commission and its work program] In order to separate the sides involved in the conflict and establish peace, the Joint Control Commission in 1992 instituted the Security Zone along the Nistru River, which consists of three sections - Nord – Rybnitsa, Centru – Dubasari, and Sud – Bender. It is 225 km long and 15-21 km wide. The three contingents of the peacekeeping troops managed by the JCC constitute the Joint Peacekeeping Forces with 1 200-1 300 servicemen representing Russia, Moldova and the Transnistrian administration. The Joint Peacekeeping Forces possess transport and infantry armament, except the Russian contingent that also has 15 armored vehicles deployed at the fixed checkpoints. The military units of the Russian contingent are dispatched in Bender (including one subunit in Dubasari town), of Moldova – in Cocieri, Cosnita and Varnita, while of the Transnistrian administration – in Dubasari and Grigoriopol. At operational level, the United Military Command of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces is subordinate to the Joint Control Commission, while the military, fighting and logistic problems are being dealt with by the defense bodies of the sides. As a rule, the JCC holds meetings every Thursday, while in exceptional cases extraordinary meetings are convened at the request of one of the delegations, not later than 24 hours after the request is made. In the planned meetings, the JCC examines the weekly report of the United Control Command on the situation in the Security Zone, organizational problems, including concerning the naming of new members of the Commission, the United Military Command and of military observers. The extraordinary meetings focus on the resolution of different pressing problems and incidents that take place in the Security Zone. The planned meetings are usually held in Bender, while the extraordinary ones in the place agreed by the delegates. The Security Zone is monitored through the fixed points of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and the groups of observers. These groups are able to reach the place of the incident in 15 minutes, despite the weather, hour and other circumstances. Currently, there are 15 fixed checkpoints that work either in unilateral or mixed regime. The posts set up on the right side of the Nistru consist of servicemen of Moldova and Russia, while those from the left bank of the river – of representatives of the Russian and Transnistrian forces. There are also posts that represent all the sides involved in the Joint Peacekeeping Forces. [Assessment of the JCC’s 20 years of work] Colonel Ion Leahu, a member of Moldova’s delegation, has told Info-Prim Neo that though the Joint Control Commission has worked for 20 years, it is a not very efficient body. He considers that the peacekeeping mission cannot be carried out when the decisions of the JCC are taken by consensus, while the opponents at the negotiating table have and pursue opposite goals. Another factor that makes the commission inefficient is the permission given to Transnistria to have armed forces, to have the same rights as the other players and to have the right of veto. ”During 20 years, the JCC reached different stages and limits. Most of the results were achieved in the first years of the constitution, when the intentions of certain bodies to have an independent state on the left side of the Nistru were not very well defined and when Russia’s representatives who had and continue to have incontestable influence respected the Agreement of 1992. Thus, the attitude during the first years was more pragmatic, while the problems were solved at the opportune moment. Now, practically no important decisions are taken because the Tiraspol administration limits the JCC’s responsibility to the ‘abstract maintenance of peace’, which runs counter to the provisions of the Agreements of 1992 and 1998,” said Ion Leahu. ”The main barrier that hinders the work of the JCC is the fact that the member delegations most of the times have separate opinions and interests that appeared long ago or continue to appear on certain occasions. If time was turned back, we would plead for an official appraisal of the conflict, performed by the Moldovan authorities in cooperation with foreign experts, and for a peacekeeping operation that would be based exclusively on the international norms,” said Ion Leahu. Politologist Veaceslav Berbeca said that the JCC nowadays is more a formality and its efficiency is practically unnoticeable. “Comparing the work of the Commission and the latest events in the Security Zone, we see that the Commission’s work leaves much to be desired,” he stated. The Joint Control Commission is in essence a component part of the Transnistrian conflict settlement. Thus, a close relation is established between these components. As the inability to take joint decisions fuels the conflict, this influences significantly the JCC’s work. “I don’t know if the work of the Commission can be improved because the principle of consensus on which its activity must be based is now far from being achieved,” said Veaceslav Berbeca. [Svetlana Maftei, Info-Prim Neo]