23:00, 5 September 2009

UN: Georgia has over 293 thousand displaced persons

The report of the Secretary General of the United Nations "Situation with Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia in Georgia" states that now Georgia keeps over 293 thousand IDPs (internally displaced persons).

"Today, Georgia has 293,048 IDPs, of whom 245,363 (83.7 percent) have got this status as a result of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict in the 1990s," runs the document.

The report states that "so far, there are no conditions in place to enable organized return of displaced persons."

As reported by the "News-Georgia", the document further says that achievement of a peaceful agreement between the parties in conflict would put the basis for the start of organized return of refugees with support of the UN.

"In the absence of political settlement, it is necessary to ensure reliable safety guarantees for those who return," the head of the UN has stated and believes that with this aim in mind the parties in conflict should take particular measures to be monitored by international organizations, the "Georgia Online" reports.