DECLARATION OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA On the so-colled Local Self-Governance Elections to be held on 10th March 2001, Organized by the Sukhumi Separatist Regime

The Sukhumi Separatist regime intends to hold the so -called local self-governance elections on the territory of Abkhazia, on March 10, 2001.

In this regard, the Parliament of Georgia declares that any local self-governance elections on the territory of Abkhazia are illegal and unacceptable because, as the result of the conflict the demographic situation has been artificially changed. On many occasions, the international community recognized the facts of ethnic cleansing of Georgian population in Abkhazia and condemned aggressive separatism. In addition, according to the resolutions of the Parliament of Georgia, dated March 10, 1994 and April 17, 1996 any legislative act, adopted by the separatist regime is regarded as null and void.

The parliament of Georgia draws the attention of the UN, OSCE, the CIS and the governments of states friends of Georgia, to the fact that the Sukhumi Separatist regime stubbornly continues to ignore the resolutions adopted by the international organizations and aiming at the resolution of the conflict, as well as the frequently expressed clear-cut position of the world community - any elections that are held in Abkhazia while the two thirds of population are persecuted and expelled, are illegal and null and void.

The Parliament of Georgia considers that the Sukhumi Separatist regime by means of imitating the self-governance elections continues to undertake absolutely fruitless endeavors - to create the image of government devoted to democratic values and acquire legitimacy. This act is one more cynical step to legitimize the ill-gotten gains of the policy of ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population, the fact, that has been officially recognized and condemned by the OSCE summits in Budapest (1994), Lisbon (1996) and Istanbul (1999).

The Parliament of Georgia believes that such volunteerism on the part of the Sukhumi Separatist regime is possible due to the clandestine support from certain powerful circles of Russia and leads the process of conflict resolution to a dead lock.

The parliament of Georgia calls upon the UN, OSCE, the European Union, the Council of Europe and the CIS to give appropriate evaluation to the illegal elections, to be held on March 10, 2001 on the territory of Abkhazia, to make the best use of all available tools and mechanisms of exerting influence on the Sukhumi separatist regime in order to prevent the so- called local self-governance elections from taking place.

The Parliament of Georgia

March 2, 2001

(Archive of the Parliament of Georgia)