Kofi Annan Says Abkhaz Status Issue Key to Resolve Conflict

(Tbilisi. April 17, 2003. Civil Georgia) – “I would like to remind the parties, in particular the Abkhaz side that the status question cuts across every aspect of a final peaceful settlement [of Abkhaz conflict]. Without its satisfactory resolution, a sustainable settlement is likely to remain elusive,” UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says.

In his latest report to the Security Council issued on April 16 Kofi Annan provides an update of the situation in Abkhazia since January 2003, the UN news centre reports.

UN Secretary-General says that for the first time in approximately four years, the Abkhaz de facto authorities at the ambassadorial level received the Group of Friends in Sukhumi. Kofi Annan says that this was ?a new momentum in Georgian-Abkhaz peace efforts despite lack of progress.?

The Group – comprising France, Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States – conveyed the recommendations that resulted from an informal session held in February in Geneva. It also presented the position of the international community to initiate negotiations between the parties on the basis of the “Basic Principles of the Distribution of Competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi.”

“The Abkhaz side raised a number of objections to the recommendations, in particular the inclusion of the political aspect in the third task force,” the Secretary-General says.

“The Abkhaz side continued to refuse to discuss the status issues and rejected the paper on competences as a basis for substantive negotiations as, in its view, the status of Abkhazia has long been determined [as independent state],” Kofi Annan says.

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