RESOLUTION
1187 (30 JULY 1998) adopted by the UN Security council
The Security Council,
Reaffirming all its relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 1150
(1998) of 30 January 1998,
recalling the
statement of its President of 28 May 1998 (S/PRST/1998/16) and recalling also
the letter of its President to the Secretary-General of 10 July 1998
(S/1998/633),
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 14 July 1998
(S/1998/647 and Add.1),
Deeply concerned at the continuing tense and confrontational situation in
the Zugdidi and Gali
regions and at the risk of resumed fighting,
Deeply concerned also at the unwillingness on the part of both sides to
renounce violence and seriously consider peaceful options for the resolution of
the conflict,
Supporting the vigorous efforts made by the Secretary-General and his
Special Representative with the assistance of the Russian Federation in its
capacity as facilitator as well as of the group of Friends of the
Secretary-General and of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) to prevent the resumption of hostilities and to give a new
impetus to the negotiations within the United Nations-led peace process, and welcoming
in this context the adoption by the parties of a Concluding Statement of the
meeting held in Geneva on 23-25 July 1998 and the accompanying statement of the
group of Friends of the Secretary-General (S/1998/647/Add.1),
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,
Welcoming the role of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
(UNOMIG) and of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS peacekeeping force) as stabilizing factors in the zone
of conflict, noting that the cooperation between UNOMIG and the CIS
peacekeeping force is good, and stressing the importance of continued close
cooperation and coordination between them in the performance of their
respective mandates,
1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of
14 July 1998;
2. Reiterates its grave concern at the resumption of hostilities which
took place in May 1998 and
calls upon the parties to observe strictly the Moscow Agreement of 14 May
1994 on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces (S/1994/583, annex I) (the Moscow
Agreement) and also the ceasefire protocol signed on 25 May 1998, as well as
all their obligations to refrain from the use of force and to resolve disputed issues by peaceful means only;
3. Expresses its deep concern at the significant outflow of refugees
resulting from the recent hostilities, reaffirms the right of all refugees and
displaced persons 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 the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons (S/1994/397,
annex II), calls upon both sides to fulfil their
obligations in this regard, and
demands in particular that the
Abkhaz side allow the unconditional and immediate return of all persons displaced
since the resumption of hostilities in May 1998;
4. Condemns the deliberate destruction of houses by Abkhaz forces, with
the apparent motive of expelling people from their home areas;
5. Recalls the conclusions of the
6. Expresses its deep concern at the extremely difficult humanitarian
situation of the displaced persons from the Gali
region as well as of those who remained in that area, and at the serious
negative impact recent developments have had on international humanitarian
efforts in the Gali region;
7. Reiterates that the primary responsibility for achieving peace rests
upon the parties themselves and reminds them that the continued commitment of
the international community to assist them depends on their progress in this
regard;
8. Calls upon the parties to display without delay the necessary
political will to achieve substantial results on the key issues of the
negotiations, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Georgia, within the framework of the United Nations-led peace process and
through direct dialogue, and to cooperate fully with the efforts made by the
Secretary-General and his Special Representative, with the assistance of the
Russian Federation as facilitator, as well as of the group of Friends of the
Secretary-General and of the OSCE;
9. Welcomes the meeting of the parties held in Geneva on 23-25 July 1998
and calls upon them to continue and increase their active engagement in this
process initiated by the Secretary-General aimed at achieving a comprehensive
political settlement;
10. Reminds the parties of their commitments to take all measures in
their power and to coordinate their efforts to ensure the security and safety
of international personnel and calls upon them to implement fully and without
delay those commitments, including the creation of a joint mechanism for
investigation and prevention of acts that represent violations of the Moscow
Agreement and terrorist acts in the zone of conflict;
11. Condemns the acts of violence against the personnel of UNOMIG, the
renewed laying of mines in the Gali region and also
the attacks by armed groups, operating in the Gali
region from the Georgian side of the Inguri River,
against the CIS peacekeeping force and demands that the parties, in particular
the Georgian authorities, take determined measures to put a stop to such acts
which subvert the peace process;
12. Reiterates its deep concern regarding the security of UNOMIG, welcomes
the measures already taken to improve security conditions to minimize the
danger to UNOMIG personnel and to create conditions for the implementation of
its mandated tasks, underlines the need to continue to make further
arrangements in this field, welcomes also the Secretary-General’s instruction
that the security of UNOMIG be kept under constant review and calls upon the
two parties to facilitate the implementation of practical measures resulting
from that review;
13. Expresses its concern at the mass media campaign launched in
14. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a new period terminating
on 31 January 1999 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;
15. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep the Council
regularly informed, to report three months after the date of the adoption of
this resolution on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, including on the
operations of UNOMIG, and expresses its intention to conduct a review of the
Mission in the light of the report of the Secretary-General, taking into
account in particular the progress made by the two parties in creating secure
conditions in which UNOMIG can fulfil its existing
mandate and establishing a political settlement;
16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
(www.un.org/docs)