The UN Security Council decided on Friday to extend the mandate
of the UN Observer Missionin Georgia (UNOMIG) until April 15,
2007.
In a resolution unanimously adopted, the council acknowledged
that a new and tense situation emerged because of the Georgian
special operation in the upper Kodori Valley.
The resolution, submitted by Russia, urged the Georgian
authority to ensure that no troops unauthorized by the Moscow
cease-fire agreement were present in that area, to avoid any
threatening action related to the Abkhaz security concerns, and to
refrain from militant rhetoric and provocative actions.
Meanwhile, it urged the leadership of the Abkhaz side to
facilitate the dignified, secure return of refugees and internally
displaced persons, and to reassure the local population in the Gali
district that their residency rights and identity will be
respected.
Calling on both parties to follow up on dialogue initiatives, it
further urged them to comply fully with all previous agreements
regarding non-violence and confidence-building, in particular those
concerning the separation of forces.
Regarding the disputed role of the peacekeepers from the
Confederation of Independent States (CIS), the council stressed the
importance of close, effective cooperation between UNOMIG and that
force and looked to all sides to continue to extend the necessary
cooperation to them.
(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2006 )
