DECISION OF THE COUNCIL OF HEADS OF STATES OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES on prolongation of the peacekeeping operation in the conflict zone in Abkhazia, Georgia

The Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth of Independent States has decided:

1. To prolong the term of presence and the Mandate of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone in Abkhazia, Georgia, until December 31, 2002 or unless one of the sides in the conflict declares for the cessation of the operation.

2. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the Russian Federation, in cooperation with the Headquarters for the Coordination of Military Cooperation between the CIS Member-States, the Provisional Working Group of the CIS for the Settlement of the Conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Georgia, shall continue to work on the issues mentioned in Clause 3 of the Decision of the Council of Heads of States of the CIS of March 22, 2002, On the Presence of the  Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the Conflict Zone in Abkhazia, Georgia, and shall submit their conclusions and considerations to the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

3. Considering the mentioned conclusions, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS shall submit its proposals on further steps for the development of additional measures for safe return of IDPs and refugees to the places of their former residence as well as on amendments of the Mandate of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone in Abkhazia, Georgia, to the next session of the Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth.

4. To inform the UN Security Council on this Decision of the Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The document has been drawn in Russian in compliance with Paragraph 6, Rule 20 of Rules of Procedure of the Council of Heads of States and the Council of Heads of Governments of the CIS. The original of the document is stored in the Executive Committee of the CIS, which will send certified copies of the document to each State undersigning this agreement:

G. Aliyev for the Azerbaijani Republic

September 3, 2002

R. Kocharian for the Republic of Armenia

August 2, 2002

Lukashenko for the Republic of Belarus

July 30, 2002

E. Shevardnadze for Georgia

July 26, 2002

N. Nazarbaev for the Republic of Kazakhstan

August 2, 2002

Akaev for the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

August 13, 2002

V. Putin for the Russian Federation

October 2, 2002

E. Rakhmonov for the Republic of Tajikistan

July 26, 2002

(www.cis..minsk)