Shevardnadze Calls UN for Decisive Measures to Solve Conflict in Abkhazia

(Tbilisi February 3, 2003. Civil Georgia) – “[Russian] peacekeepers do not fulfill their obligations and unfortunately the UN Security Council does not take this fact into consideration,” President Shevardnadze said at the news briefing today.

Georgian President commented on the UN Security Council’s resolution on Abkhazia adopted on January 30.

Security Council decided to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a new period terminating on 31 July 2003, and to further review that mandate unless a decision on the presence of the CIS peacekeeping force is taken by 15 February 2003.

The resolution says that the UN Security Council “welcomes the important contributions made by UNOMIG and the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS peacekeeping force) in stabilizing the situation in the zone of conflict.”

Georgia refuses to prolong the Russian peacekeepers’ mandate in cast it is not expanded. Georgian President called the UN for the active and decisive steps to resolve the conflict in Abkhazia and to assist return of the IDPs in this separatist region of Georgia.

“In case we decide to pull out peacekeepers from the conflict zone, Georgia will dispatch additional forces at the administrative border with Abkhazia, the territorial waters will be reinforced as well, so that they [Abkhaz separatists] could not feel very comfortable,” Eduard Shevardnadze stated.  

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