UN Secretary General Urges Georgian, Abkhaz Sides for Talks

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the recent acts of violence in the Abkhaz conflict zone and called on the Georgian and Abkhaz sides to ?engage in dialogue to bring peace to the region,? the UN news centre reported on January 15.

In a report to the UN Security Council on the situation in Abkhazia, dated January 11 and covering the previous three months, the Secretary General highlighted the killings of three members of the Abkhaz militia in late December and also an attack on a Georgian checkpoint on 5 January that killed one policeman and wounded another.

?I condemn them [acts of violence] and urge the parties to work together in identifying and bringing to justice those responsible. I appeal to both sides to engage in dialogue to prevent an escalation of the situation on the ground,? the UN Secretary General said in the report.

?I continue to believe that there can be no lasting settlement without a determined effort by both sides to seek, through genuine negotiations and in deeds, to establish a different kind of relationship between them,? he added.

Ban Ki-moon also warned that ?the sides? focus seems to have shifted towards enlisting more active external support, rather than addressing each other?s concerns and pursuing their political objectives through mutual accommodation.?

The UN Security Council will hold consultations on the Secretary-General?s progress report on the situation in Abkhazia on 24 January.

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