RESOLUTION 1781 (2007) UN
SECURITY COUNCIL
15
October 2007
The Security Council,
Recalling all its relevant resolutions including resolution 1752 of 13 April 2007
(S/RES/1752), Welcoming the reports of the Secretary-General
on the activities of the UnitedNations Observer Mission in
Noting with serious concern all recent armed incidents that have
afflicted the conflict resolution process in Georgia, deploring in particular
those in which lives were lost, and reiterating the importance of maintaining
the separation of forces and the preservation of the ceasefire,
Supporting the sustained efforts of the Secretary-General
and of his Special Representative with the assistance of the Group of Friends
of the Secretary-General as well as the
underlining the increased importance of the
meetings in the
Stressing the importance of close and effective cooperation between UNOMIG and the
CIS peacekeeping force as they currently play an important stabilizing role in
the conflict zone, and recalling that
a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the
conflict will require appropriate security guarantees,
Stressing that economic development is urgently required in
Regretting the continued lack of trust between the two
sides, and underlining the
importance of constructive goodwill and respect for each other’s concerns,
1. Reaffirms the commitment of all
Member States to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of
Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, and supports all efforts
by the United Nations and the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General, which
are guided by their determination to promote a settlement of the
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict only by peaceful means and within the framework of the
Security Council resolutions;
2. Reaffirms its strong support for
UNOMIG, calls upon the parties
to cooperate fully with the mission, deems
it necessary to strengthen the mission’s observation capacity as
recommended by UNOMIG in the “Joint Fact-Finding Group Report on The Rocket
Firing Incident in the upper Kodori valley on 11 March 2007” as well as in the
Secretary-General’s Report S/2007/588 of
4
October 2007, and requests the
Secretary-General to continue to explore options for the implementation of
those recommendations and to inform the Council on progress;
3. Calls on the Georgian side to ensure
that the situation in the upper Kodori valley is in line with the Moscow
agreement on ceasefire and separation of forces of 14 May 1994; and calls on the Abkhaz side to exercise
restraint in connection with the Georgian commitments with regard to the Kodori
valley;
4. Expresses its serious concern with the ongoing
numerous violations of the ceasefire and separation of forces regime in the
Zone of Conflict;
5. Expresses serious concern over the
incidents that have taken place within and outside the Zone of Conflict as
observed by UNOMIG and reflected in the reports of the Secretary-General of 18
July and 4 October 2007, including those on 11 March 2007 and 20 September
2007;
6. Strongly urges all parties to
consider and address seriously each other’s legitimate security concerns, to
refrain from any acts of violence or provocation, including political action or
rhetoric, and to comply fully with previous agreements regarding ceasefire and
non-use of violence;
7. Calls on both sides to finalize
without delay the document on the non-use of violence; and calls on both sides to finalize
without delay the document on the return of refugees and internally displaced
persons;
8. Urges the continued active engagement
of both sides within the Joint Fact-Finding Group and, in this context, expressing its support for the “Joint
Fact-Finding Group Report on The Rocket Firing Incident in the upper Kodori
valley on 11 March 2007”, and endorses
the recommendations made by UNOMIG in the report;
9. Welcomes the commitment given by both
sides during the meeting chaired by the United Nations in
10. Calls upon the parties to further
increase their bilateral contacts by making full use of all existing mechanisms
as described in the relevant Security Council resolutions in order to come to a
peaceful settlement, including the safe and dignified return of refugees and
internally displaced persons;
11. Renews its support for
confidence-building measures proposed by the Group of Friends of the
Secretary-General and endorsed through resolution 1752 of 13 April 2007, and,
in the conviction that they will serve the development of broader and unbiased
contacts between the communities of the divided country, urges the Georgian and Abkhaz sides
to implement these measures without conditions;
12. Recalls, with a view to achieving a
lasting and comprehensive settlement, its support for the principles contained
in the “Paper on Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competencies between
Tbilisi and Sukhumi”, and welcomes additional
ideas that the sides would be willing to offer with a view to conducting
creatively and constructively a political dialogue under the aegis of the
United Nations;
13. Welcomes the deployment of UNOMIG
police in Gali and the cooperation of the Abkhaz side, and calls for a further deepening of this
cooperation;
14. Stresses anew the urgent need to
alleviate the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons and the need
for a perspective of life in security and dignity in particular for a new
generation growing up outside
15. Reiterates and reaffirms as
fundamentally important the right of return for all the refugees and the
internally displaced persons to Abkhazia, Georgia, reaffirms the importance of such people’s return to their homes
and property and that individual property rights have not been affected by the
fact that owners had to flee during the conflict and that the residency rights
and the identity of those owners will be respected, and calls on both sides to implement the UNHCR’s Strategic Directions for their return
in the first instance to the Gali region;
16. Welcomes existing and encourages further contacts between
representatives of civil society, and appeals
to both sides to promote without reservation the active engagement of
citizens and officials in such contacts;
17. Underlines that it is the primary
responsibility of both sides to provide appropriate security and to ensure the
freedom of movement throughout the zone of conflict of UNOMIG, the CIS peacekeeping
force and other international personnel and calls on both sides to fulfil their obligations in this regard
and to extend full cooperation to UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force;
18. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken
by UNOMIG to implement the Secretary-General’s zero tolerance policy on sexual
exploitation and abuse and to ensure full compliance of its personnel with the
United Nations code of conduct, requests
the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this
regard and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate
preventive action including the conduct of predeployment awareness training,
and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full accountability
in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;
19. Decides to extend the mandate of
UNOMIG for a new period terminating on 15 April 2008;
20. Requests the Secretary-General to
make use of this mandate in order to support the parties in implementing measures
to build confidence and to establish an intensive and meaningful dialogue, with
a view to achieve a lasting and comprehensive settlement, including the
facilitation of a meeting at the highest level, and to inform the Council in
his next report on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, on progress made in this
respect;
21. Strongly supports the efforts of the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and calls on the Group of
Friends of the Secretary-General to continue giving him their steadfast and
unified support;
22. Decides to remain actively seized of
the matter.
(www.un.org/docs)