RESOLUTION
1124 (31 JULY 1997) adopted by the UN Security council
The Security Council,
Recalling all its relevant resolutions,
reaffirming in particular resolution 1096 (1997) of 30 January 1997, and
recalling the statement of its President of 8 May 1997,
Having considered the report of the
Secretary-General of 18 July 1997 (S/1997/558 and Add.1),
Reiterating its full support for the more active
role for the United Nations, with the assistance of the
Acknowledging the efforts in support of the peace
process of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, with the
assistance of the Russian Federation as facilitator, as well as the group of
Friends of the Secretary-General on Georgia and the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as mentioned in the report,
Welcoming in this context the indication given in
the report that prospects for progress in the peace process have improved,
noting with deep concern the continued failure by the parties to resolve their
differences, and underlining the necessity for the parties to intensify without
delay their efforts to achieve an early and comprehensive political settlement
of the conflict, including on the political status of Abkhazia within the State
of Georgia, which fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Georgia,
Reaffirming the necessity for the parties strictly
to respect human rights, expressing its support for the efforts of the
Secretary-General to find ways to improve their observance as an integral part
of the work towards a comprehensive political settlement, and noting
developments in the work of the United Nations Human Rights Office in Abkhazia,
Georgia,
Commending the contribution that the United
Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the Collective Peacekeeping
Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS peacekeeping force) have
made in stabilizing the situation in the zone of conflict, noting that the
cooperation between UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force is good and has
continued to develop, and stressing the importance of continued close
cooperation and coordination between them in the performance of their
respective mandates,
Deeply concerned at the continuing unstable and
tense security conditions in the Gali region,
characterized by acts of violence by armed groups, by armed robbery, and other
common crime and, most seriously, by the laying of mines, including new types
of mines, and deeply concerned also at the resulting lack of safety and
security for the local populations, for the refugees and displaced persons
returning to the region and for the personnel of UNOMIG and of the CIS
peacekeeping force,
Reminding the parties that the ability of the
international community to assist them depends on their political will to
resolve the conflict through dialogue and mutual accommodation, as well as
their full cooperation with UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force, including
the fulfillment of their obligations regarding the safety and freedom of
movement of international personnel,
Taking note of the decision taken by the Council
of Heads of State of the CIS of 28 March 1997 (S/1997/268, annex) to expand the
mandate of the CIS peacekeeping force in the conflict zone in Abkhazia,
Georgia, and to extend it until 31 July 1997, but noting with concern the
uncertainty surrounding its extension beyond that date,
1. Welcomes the report of
the Secretary-General of 18 July 1997;
2. Reiterates its deep
concern at the continued deadlock in achieving a comprehensive settlement of
the conflict in
3. Reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of
4. Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General
and his Special Representative aimed at achieving a comprehensive political
settlement of the conflict, including on the political status of Abkhazia
within the State of Georgia, respecting fully the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Georgia, and the efforts undertaken by the Russian Federation in
its capacity as facilitator, in particular during the last round of talks
between the parties held in Moscow in June 1997, to continue to intensify the
search for a peaceful settlement of the conflict;
5. Reaffirms its support for the more active role
for the United Nations in the peace process, encourages the Secretary-General
to continue his efforts to that end, with the assistance of the Russian
Federation as facilitator, and with the support of the group of Friends of the
Secretary-General on Georgia and the OSCE, and welcomes in this context the
holding of a high-level meeting on the conflict in Geneva under the aegis of
the United Nations to map out the areas where concrete political progress could
be made;
6. Notes the Addendum to the Report of the
Secretary-General, supports the intention of the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General to resume the adjourned meeting in September, and calls upon
in particular the Abkhaz side to engage constructively at this resumed meeting;
7. Stresses that the primary responsibility for
reinvigorating the peace process rests upon the parties themselves, calls upon
them, to achieve substantive progress without further delay towards a
comprehensive political settlement, and further calls upon them to cooperate
fully with the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his Special
Representative, with the assistance of the Russian Federation as facilitator;
8. Welcomes the continuation of direct dialogue
between the parties, calls upon them to intensify the search for a peaceful
solution by further expanding their contacts, requests the
Secretary-General to make available all appropriate support if so requested by
the parties, and recalls the appeal of the Secretary-General to both parties to
pursue the discussions on the implementation of the above-mentioned decisions
of 28 March 1997 adopted by the Council of Heads of State of the CIS;
9. Recalls the conclusions of the
10. Reiterates its condemnation of killings,
particularly those ethnically motivated, and other
ethnically related acts of violence;
11. Reaffirms the right of all refugees and
displaced persons affected by the conflict to return to their homes in secure
conditions in accordance with international law and as set out in the
Quadripartite Agreement of 4 April 1994 on voluntary return of refugees and
displaced persons (S/1994/397, annex II), condemns the continued obstruction of
that return, and stresses the unacceptability of any linkage of the return of
refugees and displaced persons with the question of the political status of
Abkhazia, Georgia;
12. Reiterates its demand that the Abkhaz side
accelerate significantly the process of voluntary return of refugees and
displaced persons without delay or preconditions, in particular by accepting a
timetable on the basis of that proposed by the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and further demands that it guarantee
the safety of spontaneous returnees already in the area and regularize their
status in cooperation with UNHCR and in accordance with the Quadripartite
Agreement, in particular in the Gali region;
13. Calls upon the parties to ensure the full
implementation of the Moscow Agreement of 14 May 1994 on a Ceasefire and
Separation of Forces (S/1994/583, annex I);
14. Condemns the continued laying of mines, including
new types of mines, in the Gali region, which has
already caused several deaths and injuries among the civilian population and
the peacekeepers and observers of the international community, and calls upon
the parties to take all measures in their power to prevent mine-laying and
intensified activities by armed groups and to cooperate fully with UNOMIG and
the CIS peacekeeping force in order to honour their
commitments to ensure the safety and the freedom of movement of all personnel
of the United Nations, the CIS peacekeeping force and international
humanitarian organizations;
15. Urges the Secretary-General to continue to
take the necessary steps in response to the threat posed by the laying of mines
in order to improve security conditions so as to minimize the danger to UNOMIG
personnel and to create conditions for the effective performance of its
mandate;
16. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a
new period terminating on 31 January 1998 subject to a review by the Council of
the mandate of UNOMIG in the event of any changes that may be made in the
mandate or in the presence of the CIS peacekeeping force, and welcomes the
intention of the Secretary-General, as mentioned in his report, to keep the
Council informed of developments in this regard;
17. Reiterates its full
support for the implementation of a concrete programme
for the protection and promotion of human rights in
18. Welcomes the continued efforts by the United Nations
agencies and humanitarian organizations to address the urgent needs of those
suffering most from the consequences of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia, in
particular internally displaced persons, encourages further contributions to
that end, and reiterates its encouragement to States to contribute to the
voluntary fund in support of the implementation of the Moscow Agreement and/or
for humanitarian aspects including demining, as
specified by donors;
19. Requests the Secretary-General to consider the
means of providing technical and financial assistance aimed at the
reconstruction of the economy of
20. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to
keep the Council regularly informed, to report after three months from the date
of the adoption of this resolution on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia,
including on the operations of UNOMIG, and to provide recommendations in that
report on the nature of the United Nations presence, and, in this context,
expresses its intention to conduct a thorough review of the operation at the
end of its current mandate;
21. Decides to remain actively seized of the
matter.