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Annan recommends six-month extension of UN operation in Abkhazia, Georgia
21 July -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended the extension of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for another six months, stressing that, despite the slow progress of the peace process, the UN operation continues to play an "essential role" in the search for a solution to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.

"At the same time, through its monitoring presence on the ground, the Mission undoubtedly remains a central element in the efforts to stabilize the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia," the Secretary-General writes in a just released report that proposes renewing the mandate of UNOMIG through 31 January 2001.

Noting that no progress can be achieved without demonstration of "substantial political will" by both the Georgian and Abkhaz parties, the Secretary-General calls on both sides to engage fully in the negotiating process within the parallel strategy proposed by his representative, Dieter Boden.

"The most critical element of the package is Abkhazia's political status, and if this element is not included in the negotiating process in its own right, the entire process may be jeopardized," the Secretary-General warns, urging the Abkhaz side in particular to "muster the political will" to engage in negotiations on the status issue.

The report describes the plight of internally displaced persons in Georgia as "increasingly desperate" and calls attention to the thousands of people still living away from their homes, as well as the thousands who have chosen to return to their communities in the Gali district. It also reminds both sides of the inalienable right of all refugees and internally displaced to return to their places of previous residence in Abkhazia.

The Secretary-General also calls attention to the "pernicious" increase in organized criminality along the ceasefire line and its impact on security conditions for returnees to the Gali district. He urges both sides to cooperate in fighting the upsurge in crime and improving the work of their respective law enforcement organs.

Without the confidence-building measures that have continued during the last six months, the peace process would be "anaemic," Mr. Annan writes. He appeals to both sides to strengthen "the depth and breadth" of their involvement in this critical component, which aims at genuine reconciliation and the eradication of the perception of the other side as the enemy.