12:10, 9 January 2004

Necessity to prolong mandate of Peacekeeping Forces in Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone no longer exists

The headquarters of the Peacekeeping Forces in Sukhum has already received the decision by the Council of Heads of CIS States that the peacekeepers will stay in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict until one of the parties declares for their withdrawal. "But if one of the conflict parties demands withdrawal of the peacekeepers, the Council of Heads of CIS States will discuss the problem in any case to decide on the expediency of the peacekeepers' stay," CIS Peacekeeping Forces Commander Major-General Aleksandr Yevteev said during his meeting with Abkhazian Vice President Valery Arshba on January 6. With the aforementioned decision being made, the necessity to prolong the peacekeepers' mandate and the commander's authority every six months fell away, and it no longer impedes the peacekeeping activity, announced the general.

As for the stance of the Abkhazian leadership, it is that the decision by the Council of Heads of CIS States is right as every six months, when the time has come to prolong the mandate, the Georgian side has begun to profit from the given problem.

Author: Anzhela Kuchuberiya, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot