Kofi Annan Says No Progress Over Abkhazia
(Tbilisi, January 20, 2003. Civil Georgia) – Negotiations on the future status of Abkhazia, Georgia have made little progress in the last year, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says in a new report to the UN Security Council, UN news center reports.
“The tone of the two parties [Georgian, Abkhaz] has hardened, there is a deep mistrust between them and they show little sign of willingness to make the substantive compromises necessary for a meaningful peace process,” he says, noting that the Abkhaz side has refused to even enter into discussions on the principles on which negotiations should be based.
The UN Secretary General’s reports says that the consultations on the future of Abkhazia will continue to be based on a paper entitled “Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi [capital of breakaway Abkhazia].”
Mr. Annan welcomes the cooperation of both parties on the strengthening of law enforcement institutions to improve the situation for internally displaced persons, but regrets the lack of progress in implementing safe and secure conditions for a 1994 agreement on the voluntary return of refugees.
UN Secretary General recommends continuing presence of the United Nations Observer Mission in that country (UNOMIG) for another six months.
Stressing that UNOMIG’s presence “remains essential for maintaining stability in the conflict zone and for pursuing the process towards a political settlement of the conflict,” the Secretary-General recommends that the mandate of UNOMIG be extended until 31 July.
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