EU's representative to Moldova believes only 5+2 format talks can generate legitimate agreements in settling Transnistrian conflict

The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) from Moldova is concerned with the way some media construed the statements of the Special Representative of the European Union to Moldova, Kalman Mizsei, that he made at a discussion with journalists from Chisinau and Tiraspol, organized by the FPA on September 5, 2008. FPA has sent Info-Prim Neo news agency a press release specifying Mr. Mizsei's statements. Thus, the EU representative has said it is only the 5+2 format talks that legitimate and viable agreements can be reached at. “Certainly, talks may take place among Mr. Medvedev and Mr. Smirnov and Mr. Voronin, but those talks categorically cannot replace the talks and they cannot reach principles of viably settling the Transnistrian conflict. This can be done only in the 5+2 format.” “The European Union stands categorically for the 5+2 format, for the soonest launch of the talks in this format.” “After the events in Georgia, it is even more in the interest of our partners not to make experiments with non-viable, non-legitimate and non-democratic formulas,” the EU representative to Moldova said. Referring to the Kozak Plan, Mizsei has said: “With all our respect for Mr. Kozak's efforts, his plan had drawbacks which make us believe it could not and cannot represent a basis for agreement.” One of those consists in the fact that the Kozak plan created, in ftact, a non-sovereign plan, a confederative pattern which contained provisions able to paralyze the country's life – an exaggerated veto right for the Transnistrian area and extremely many situations in which important decisions were to be adopted only through the vote of both sides, says the European official. “We stand for granting the Transnistrian area wide powers, firmly guaranteed by the Moldovan constitutional law on the one hand, and by an international monitoring mechanism realized by Russia and Moldova's neighbors, on the other hand,” Kalman Mizsei underlined. Asked about the possible existence of a new plan of Chisinau which might now be considered by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the European representative said: “A really pertinent answer to this question will be able to be given only after the 5+2 format starts working and Russia shows its availability to cooperate with its international partners and will convince its Tiraspol partners to work more constructively”. All the technical aspects of the Transnistrian settlement are known and, that is why, when political will is in Russia and in Transnistria, the conflict will be able to be solved very quickly. Concerning the 3+2 format meeting scheduled for Monday, 8 September, in Vienna, Kalman Mizsei has said: “In Vienna, Russia has got a very good opportunity to show it can be a constructive partner for the international community and to show its cooperation will by participating in the active preparation of the concrete schedule for the 5+2 talks”. The European official adds some media wrongly construed his statements about the possibility of settling the Transnistrian conflict will the parliamentary elections in 2009 in Moldova. “For us it is important that the solution to settle the conflict definitely should be fair and sustainable, so that the country is able to develop strongly and speedily after its adoption. When this thing will be able to be done, I won't speculate. I'll only say that, if there is political will, this can be realized till the 2009 elections. If there is no political will, it's better to work on all the aspects some time more,” the EU special representative to Moldova said.