Shevardnadze to Prolong Russian Peacekeepers’ Mandate

(Tbilisi February 16, 2003. Civil Georgia) – “Our friends recommend us to prolong Russian peacekeepers’ mandate [in Abkhazian conflict zone],” President Shevardnadze said at the government’s extended meeting on February 15.

The US Department of State in its statement of February 13 supported to prolong peacekeepers’ mandate for another six months.

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.

But none of these demands are fulfilled so far by the Russian side.

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