RESOLUTION
1339 (31 JANUARY 2001) ADOPTED BY
THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council,
Recalling all its relevant resolutions, in
particular resolution 1311 (2000) of 28 July 2000, and the statement of its
President of 14 November 2000 (S/PRST/2000/32),
Having considered the report of the
Secretary-General of 18 January 2001 (S/2001/59),
Recalling the conclusions of the Lisbon
(S/1997/57, annex) and Istanbul summits of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) regarding the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia,
Stressing that the continued lack of progress on
key issues of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia,
is unacceptable,
Deeply concerned that, although currently mostly
calm, the general situation in the conflict zone remains very volatile,
Noting the holding of the twelfth session of the
Coordinating Council of the Georgian and Abkhaz sides on 23 January 2001,
Recalling the relevant principles contained in the
Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel adopted on
9 December 1994,
Welcoming the important contributions that the
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the Collective
Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS peacekeeping
force) continue to make in stabilizing the situation in the zone of conflict, noting
that the working relationship between UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force has
remained very close, and stressing the importance of close cooperation between
them in the performance of their respective mandates,
1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of
18 January 2001;
2. Strongly supports the sustained efforts of 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 OSCE, to promote the stabilization
of the situation and the achievement of a comprehensive political settlement,
which must include a settlement of the political status of Abkhazia within the
State of Georgia;
3. Strongly supports, in particular, the intention
of the Special Representative to submit, in the near future, the draft paper
containing specific proposals to the parties on the question of the
distribution of constitutional competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi as a
basis for meaningful negotiations;
4. Stresses the need to accelerate work on the
draft protocol on the return of the refugees to the Gali region and measures
for economic rehabilitation, as well as on the draft agreement on peace and
guarantees for the prevention and for the non-resumption of hostilities;
5. Calls upon the parties, in particular the
Abkhaz side, to undertake immediate efforts to move beyond the impasse and to
engage into negotiations on the core political questions of the conflict and
all other outstanding issues in the United Nations-led peace process;
6. Welcomes the readiness of the Government of
Ukraine to host the third meeting on confidence-building measures, welcomes
also the commitment of both sides to the conflict to meet in Yalta in March
2001, and notes the important contribution a successful conference would make
to the peace process;
7. Reaffirms the unacceptability of the
demographic changes resulting from the conflict, and reaffirms also the
inalienable right of all refugees and displaced persons affected by the
conflict to return to their homes in secure and dignified conditions, in
accordance with international law and as set out in the Quadripartite Agreement
of 4 April 1994 (S/1994/397, annex II);
8. Urges the parties, in this context, to address
urgently and in a concerted manner, as a first step, the undefined and insecure
status of spontaneous returnees to the Gali district, which remains an issue of
serious concern;
9. Expresses its satisfaction with the joint
assessment mission to the Gali district, carried out under the aegis of the
United Nations, and looks forward to the careful consideration of the mission’s
recommendations regarding human rights, law enforcement and education;
10. Condemns all violations of the Moscow
Agreement of 14 May 1994 on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces (S/1994/583,
annex I), and notes with particular concern the Abkhaz military exercise
conducted in November 2000;
11. Deplores the rise in criminality and
activities of armed groups in the conflict zone, which constitutes a major
destabilizing factor affecting the overall situation, calls upon the parties to
increase their efforts at curbing them and to cooperate in good faith using the
means provided by the Coordinating Council mechanism, condemns the recent
killings of civilians and Abkhaz militiamen, and calls upon both sides, in
particular the Georgian side, to investigate these incidents and bring to
justice those responsible;
12. Condemns the abduction of two UNOMIG military
observers on 10 December 2000, recalls that the Georgian and the Abkhaz sides
bear the primary responsibility for the security of UNOMIG, the CIS
peacekeeping force and other international personnel, and appeals to them to
bring to justice the perpetrators of the hostage-taking incidents of October
1999, June 2000 and December 2000;
13. Calls upon the parties to ensure security and
freedom of movement of the United Nations and other international personnel;
14. Welcomes UNOMIG keeping its security
arrangements under constant review in order to ensure the highest possible
level of security for its staff;
15. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a
new period terminating on 31 July 2001, 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 expresses its
intention to conduct a thorough review of the operation at the end of its
current mandate, in the light of steps taken by the parties to achieve a
comprehensive settlement;
16. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to
keep the Council regularly informed and to report three months from the date of
the adoption of this resolution on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, and requests
also the Secretary-General to provide for a briefing within three months on the
progress of the political settlement, including on the status of the draft
paper his Special Representative intends to submit to the parties as referred
to in paragraph 3 above;
17. Decides to remain actively seized of the
matter.