Situation still 'extremely unstable.'

UN Chronicle, Sept, 1995

The Security Council on 12 May, in extending the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for another eight months, until 12 January 1996, expressed concern over "insufficient progress" achieved towards a comprehensive political settlement in the region.

By unanimously adopting resolution 993 (1995), it also decided that the extension was subject to its review if any changes were made in the mandate of the peace-keeping force of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), deployed in Abkhazia-a smafl Black Sea region of Georgia.

The Council called upon the parties to reach substantive progress in their negotiations-held under UN auspices, with the assistance of the Russian Federation as facilitator and the participation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-and urged them to "refrain from any unilateral actions which could complicate or hinder the political process aimed at an early and comprehensive political settlement".

It reiterated its call to the Abkhaz side to accelerate significantly the process of the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons, guarantee the "safety of spontaneous returne " already in the area and regularize their status in accordance with the 4 April 1994 Quadripartite Agreement.

The parties were also called upon to improve their cooperation with UNOMIG and the CIS peace-keeping force in the Gali region, aimed at "improving conditions for the safe and orderly return of refugees and displaced persons", and honour their commitments with regard to the security and freedom of movement of all UN and CIS personnel.

In recommending the Mission's extension, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 1 May warned that the unfimely withdrawal of the CIS peace-keeping force and UNOMIG would lead to "open confrontation and the resumption of conflict".

However, he went on, although mediators and other interlocutors could assist by providing ideas, political skills and expertise, as well as "appropriate settings and conditions" for negotiations, the parties themselves "must be willing to make the necessary accomodations for their dispute to be resolved".

So far, the presence of UNOMIG had not had the "intended effect of contributing substantially" to the creation of conditions conducive to the safe and orderly return of refugees the Secretary-General reported (S/1995/342).

And the "principal reason for this unfortunate situation" was that neither the Georgian Government nor the Abkhaz authorities had been able to guarantee the safety and protection of the displaced persons and repatriants, he stated.

Without an agreement by the parties on the number and type of personal weapons to be carried in the security zone and "in the absence of an earnest attempt by them to control the armed elements", security conditions in the region would "continue to be unstable".

Also, some additional measures to improve conditions could be taken in the security and restricted weapons zones-areas adjacent to the Inguri river, which forms a natural demarcation line between the parties-buthey were "unlikely to improve the situation" unless both sides demonstrate the necessary VAR, the Secretary-General observed. "As is always the case, it is the parties to a conflict that must make peace", he stressed.