UN Security Council Extends UNOMIG’s Mandate in Georgia

The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), which was schedule to expire on July 31, for another six months, until January, 31  2005.
 
“The Council, while reaffirming the independence and territorial integrity of Georgia and the necessity to define the status of Abkhazia within the Georgian state, deeply regretted the continued refusal of the Abkhaz side to agree to a discussion on the substance of the “Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi”, and again urged the Abkhaz side to receive the document,” a July 29 news release reads. 
 
The UN Security Council called on all parties to spare no efforts in overcoming their ongoing mutual mistrust of one another and underlined that negotiations towards a lasting political settlement acceptable to both sides would require concessions from both sides. 
 
The Council called on the Georgian side to provide comprehensive security guarantees to allow for independent and regular monitoring of the situation by joint UNOMIG and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping force patrols in the upper Kodori Valley .
 
Earlier, on July 24, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended that the Security Council prolong the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for another six months, until January 31 of next year.

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