US for Extension of Peacekeepers’ Mandate, Calls Russia to Refrain from Unilateral Moves in Abkhazia

(Tbilisi February 14, 2003. Civil Georgia) – The United States supports extending the Commonwealth of Independent States Peacekeeping Force’s “mandate for another six-month period,” press statement of the US Department of State Spokesman Richard Boucher reads. 

“Like Georgia, the United States wants to see rapid progress towards political negotiations to resolve the conflict over the region of Abkhazia as well as the return of displaced persons,” the statement says.

The United States call the conflicting parties to accept the paper on Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competencies Between Tbilisi and Sukhumi prepared by the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative.

“We fully understand the concern of the Georgian government about recent unilateral actions on Russia’s part such as reopening the railway line from Sochi to Sukhumi. The United States believes that no one should engage in activities that would appear to enhance the separate status of Abkhazia and render the negotiating process more difficult,” US official states. 

The Georgian authorities posed three demands to extend the mandate: closing down the railway link, which was unilaterally reopened by Russia with Abkhazia, suspension of granting Russian citizenship to Abkhazia’s residents and extension of the peacekeeper mandate over the Gali district, so that IDP would be able to return at least to Gali. Tbilisi also demands international administration of the Gali district.

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