Tbilisi, Moscow Welcome UN Abkhaz Resolution

President Saakashvili said the UN Security Council resolution on Abkhazia passed on October 15 was ?a diplomatic breakthrough.?

He said it was important that for the first time the UN had acknowledged the property rights of displaced people from Abkhazia.

The Security Council said in the resolution that it ?reaffirms as fundamentally important the right of return for all the refugees and the internally displaced persons to Abkhazia.?

?Reaffirms the importance of such people?s return to their homes and property and that individual property rights have not been affected by the fact that owners had to flee during the conflict and that the residency rights and the identity of those owners will be respected.?

President Saakashvili said those, ?including some Russian officials, like the Governor of Krasnodar [Alexander Tkachevany],? who attempted to seize assets in Abkhazia, would be in violation of the Security Council resolution.

?But that is not enough. We also want the UN to recognize the ethnic cleansings that took place in Abkhazia. We should work on this,? Saakashvili told reporters on October 15.

He also said that because of Tbilisi’s principled position, the resolution says nothing about the Georgian state-funded patriotic camp in Ganmukhuri.

Georgia?s ambassador to the UN, Irakli Alasania, told reporters in New York that the resolution was ?very balanced.?

?And what is very important for us, is that the fundamental IDP right to return and their property rights have been adequately reflected in the resolution,? he added.

Russia?s ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, also said after the resolution was passed that it was ?a good resolution.?

?We are satisfied with the content of this resolution. We think that the resolution is sending the right messages, particularly to the Georgian side,? Churkin said. ?This resolution is fully in line with Russia?s policy of trying to stabilize the situation.?

He specifically emphasized the provision in the resolution which stresses ?the importance of close and effective cooperation? between UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the Russian peacekeepers, ?as they currently play an important stabilizing role in the conflict zone.?

The resolution also underlines that it is ?the primary responsibility? of both the Georgian and Abkhaz sides to provide appropriate security and to ensure the freedom of movement throughout the conflict conflict for UNOMIG and Russian peacekeepers.

The Russian ambassador said he hoped the Georgian side would ?read the resolution carefully? and honour its provisions.

Churkin welcomed the acknowledgement given to the right of return to IDPs and refugees, but said agreement on the non-use of force must first be reached.

Indeed, the resolution calls for such an agreement. Tbilisi, however, has been refusing to agree, saying that it would only do so after the internationalization of peacekeeping operations.

The resolution expresses ?serious concern? over the March 11 and September 20 incidents, without assigning responsibilities.

The resolution has also extended the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for another six months.

Meanwhile, the Georgian side is continuing its efforts to convince the Security Council to review the entire peace process in Abkhazia, Georgia?s ambassador to the UN, Irakli Alasania, said.

In an address to the UN General Assembly on September 26, President Saakashvili calld for “a comprehensive review of all aspects of the peace process.? This review, he pointed out, should result in ?fundamental changes? and first and foremost in the negotiation format and peacekeeping operation, ?which is stagnant and counterproductive.?

?We will work with the UN Secretariat on modalities of this review,? Alasania told reporters. He added that the majority of the Security Council members, as well as Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, were supportive of the idea.

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