U.S.A. hopes 5+2 format talks to resume till year-end: U.S. Official

The United States hopes the 5+2 format talks on settling the Transnistrian problem will be resumed till the year-end. The statement was made on Wednesday by David A. Merkel, the deputy assistant of the Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, during his trip to Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. The U.S. official told a news conference he would have preferred to be in Vienna, as consultations in the 5+2 format were scheduled for October 7 and 8, as they decided also in Vienna in September, in the 3+2 format. According to David Merkel, the consultations were canceled because of Tiraspol's disagreement announced only 11 hours in advance. The U.S. Official says now all the mediators and observers – the U.S.A., the EU, the OSCE, Ukraine, and especially the Russian Federation should observe their commitments they assumed in September and should try to encourage Chisinau and Tiraspol to sit at the negotiations table in the 5+2 format. David Merkel maintains it is the goal of his trips to Chisinau and Tiraspol. Merkel says he met the interim foreign minister of Transnistria, Vladimir Yastrebchak, in Tiraspol, and told him the resumption of the 5+2 talks should not be conditioned by anything. The U.S. official called Yastrebchak to understand that resuming the talks was also in Transnistria's interest. Referring to the meetings in the trilateral format (Moldova, Transnistria and Russia), the U.S. official has said except for the 5+2 talks, the sides can consult one another in any other formula. “It's important that these consultations do not touch on reaching a solution in the 5+2 format,” Merkel said. “The 5+2 format is an internationally recognized mechanism and we should stick to it. It's the only mechanism able to insure a solution in the interest of Moldovan citizens, which would be recognized by the international community,” the deputy assistant of the Secretary of State said. Asked to comment Romania's proposal to expand the talks format, David Merkel has said “Romania is an EU member, and the EU is a member of the 5+2 format”. The American official has said the strain relationships between the U.S.A. and Russia “after the Russian invasion of Georgia” should not be an obstacle in settling the Transnistrian conflict. David Merkel has said the project of “package” solution of the Transnistrian conflict, promoted by Chisinau, contains aspects which need support and and is a good start for discussions and negotiations. He called the Moldovan President's demilitarization initiative as positive. The mediators and observers decided on September 8 in Vienna to resume the 5+2 talks and to persuade the two sides to participate actively in working in this format. The 5+2 negotiations were scheduled in Vienna for October 7 and 8.