U.S. ‘Strongly Supports’ Tbilisi’s Abkhaz Initiatives

U.S. ambassador in UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on April 15 that Washington “strongly welcomes the new initiatives put forward by the Georgian president to advance a negotiated political resolution of the Abkhazia conflict.” 

“We urge the de facto authorities in Abkhazia to seriously consider these initiatives, as well as the previous offers for economic cooperation proposed in Geneva earlier this year,” he said.

Russia’s UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, however, told journalists after that statement by the U.S. diplomat that Tbilisi has not officially presented those proposals to the Abkhaz side yet.
 
“Proposals which Ambassador Khalilzad praised and which President of Georgia made public, have not been communicated officially to the Abkhazian side; so the question arises is their mind really focused on political process or on military things,” Churkin said.

Saakashvili on March 28 unveiled a series of proposals, including a joint free economic zone, Abkhaz representation in central government and legislative body and an Abkhaz vice-president with the right to veto Abkhaz-related decisions. A similar proposal was initiated by Tbilisi in 2006, but the issue was revitalized by Tbilisi again only this March.

Abkhaz leader, Sergey Bagapsh, said the proposal was unacceptable as there was no other alternative for Abkhazia rather than independence.

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