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EU officers conduct military inspection in Transdniester
A two day military inspection by EU officers includes verification visits in Transdniester's buffer zone. Officers from Germany and Estonia are checking the work of peacekeepers stationed here. The work follows previous inspection visits which confirmed the absence of any illegal weapons production. 
Members of the 4-nation peacekeeping force line up for inspection in the buffer zone between Moldova and TransdniestrBENDER (Tiraspol Times) - A group of military inspectors made up of armed forces leadership from Estonia and Germany are on a two day inspection which covers Moldova and Transdniester.
As part of a visit to the region spanning 28 and 29 March, the EU inspectors will verify installations in the buffer zone on the two banks of the Dniester river. The buffer zone is patrolled by a multilateral team of peacekeepers and has separated Moldova and Transdnister, also called Transnistria, since a 1992 ceasefire.
As reported by news agency Regnum, the EU officers started their 28 March 2007 inspection in Transdniester by evaluating the work of the Russian-led part of the Joint Control Commission which oversees the peacekeeping effort in the area.
The inspection is part of the 1999 Vienna Document of the OSCE, which established a legal basis providing for international inspection of areas of possible military conflict and prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.
The Estonian delegation, under the command of Pieter Tali, is led by four military leaders who form part of the Chief of Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces. From Germany, the delegation is joined with an inspector from the Bundeswehr, Germany's Armed Forces.
The military inspection will verify the absense of any weapons production, and will gather data on the number of troops stationed in the area and their permanent base locations.
- EU work follows 2006 OSCE inspections
The 2007 visit follows a similar event in 2006 whereby a large OSCE-led delegation was granted access to military installations and arms depots in Transdniester.
In November of 2006, a group of OSCE diplomats and foreign officials inspected military storage facilities in the northern part of the unrecognized country and saw the progress in demilitarization efforts and weapons control first-hand. The gesture was appreciated by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office as an important confidence-building measure. As a result of the visit, OSCE could confirm that it sees improved government and increased trust in the region.
Following their successful weapons inspection visit, the top-level OSCE delegation stated that "the process of governing this region is being improved". Speaking to the press, the Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Bertrand de Crombrugghe, called the visit positive. He also said that steps to increase trust had been taken.
Weapons storage inspections confirmed the security levels and lack of danger in the PMR-based weapons deposit. The international team selected by the OSCE found no risk of any unauthorized sales.
- No weapons production or arms trafficking
The visit was the second international arms inspection of secured weapons facilities in Transdniester during 2006. The inspection followed a U.N.-report that it is not involved in weapons production. The unrecognized country has an open-door policy of openness and transparency in order to clear itself of past accusations.
" - Several analysts have charged Moldova with using accusations of SALW production and trafficking in Transdniestria for political leverage in attracting the interest of the international community to the Transdniestrian conflict and in an attempt to ensure a positive outcome for the Moldovan Government in the conflict settlement process," states the UN report, quoting Moldovan political expert Andrei Popov, of the Foreign Policy Association, and regional specialist Damien Helly, of the International Crisis Group.
In their latest survey, British weapons inspectors and arms experts working on behalf of the United Nations confirm that there is currently transparency and good levels of co-operation with the government of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR) in the field of weapons control.
The report, which was published by the United Nations, refutes earlier claims by Moldova that the country is a "black hole" or haven for arms production and illegal trafficking. It states that evidence for the illicit production and trafficking of weapons into and from Transdniester has in the past been exaggerated, and explains that the accusations were politically motivated rather than based in any factual reality.
See also:
» Transdniester opens its doors to OSCE team for weapons inspection
» Confidence-building visit: OSCE delegation inspects Kolbasna military depots
» UN Report clears Transdniester of weapons smuggling; Praises transparency and co-operation
» International weapons inspection refutes dangers, finds no risks of unauthorized sales
| more about peacekeeping | |||||
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Moldova has passed a national security concept in which Transdniestria is defined as Moldova's main threat. The new law comes a month after Transdniestria proposed a treaty of friendship and co-operation, which Moldova ignored. Moldova already failed in an earlier 1992 attempt to invade and conquer the 'de facto' independent state. . . 
