The Security Council,

Reaffirming all its relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 1150 (1998) of 30 January 1998, recalling the statement of its President of 28 May 1998 (S/PRST/1998/16) and recalling also the letter of its President to the Secretary-General of 10 July 1998 (S/1998/633),

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 14 July 1998 (S/1998/647 and Add.1),

Deeply concerned at the continuing tense and confrontational situation in the Zugdidi and Gali regions and at the risk of resumed fighting,

Deeply concerned also at the unwillingness on the part of both sides to renounce violence and seriously consider peaceful options for the resolution of the conflict,

Supporting the vigorous efforts made by the Secretary-General and his Special Representative with the assistance of the Russian Federation in its capacity as facilitator as well as of the group of Friends of the Secretary-General and of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to prevent the resumption of hostilities and to give a new impetus to the negotiations within the United Nations-led peace process, and welcoming in this context the adoption by the parties of a Concluding Statement of the meeting held in Geneva on 23-25 July 1998 and the accompanying statement of the group of Friends of the Secretary-General (S/1998/647/Add.1),

Reaffirming the necessity for the parties strictly to respect human rights, expressing its support for the efforts of the Secretary-General to find ways to improve their observance as an integral part of the work towards a comprehensive political settlement, and noting developments in the work of the United Nations Human Rights Office in Abkhazia, Georgia,

Welcoming the role of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS peacekeeping force) as stabilizing factors in the zone of conflict, noting that the cooperation between UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force is good, and stressing the importance of continued close cooperation and coordination between them in the performance of their respective mandates,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 14 July 1998;

2. Reiterates its grave concern at the resumption of hostilities which took place in May 1998 and calls upon the parties to observe strictly the Moscow Agreement of 14 May 1994 on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces (S/1994/583, annex I) (the Moscow Agreement) and also the ceasefire protocol signed on 25 May 1998, as well as all their obligations to refrain from the use of force and to resolve disputed issues by peaceful means only;

3. Expresses its deep concern at the significant outflow of refugees resulting from the recent hostilities, reaffirms the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes in secure conditions in accordance with international law and as set out in the Quadripartite Agreement of 4 April 1994 on the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons (S/1994/397, annex II), calls upon both sides to fulfil their obligations in this regard, and demands in particular that the Abkhaz side allow the unconditional and immediate return of all persons displaced since the resumption of hostilities in May 1998;

4. Condemns the deliberate destruction of houses by Abkhaz forces, with the apparent motive of expelling people from their home areas;

5. Recalls the conclusions of the Lisbon summit of the OSCE (S/1997/57, annex) regarding the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, and reaffirms the unacceptability of the demographic changes resulting from the conflict;

6. Expresses its deep concern at the extremely difficult humanitarian situation of the displaced persons from the Gali region as well as of those who remained in that area, and at the serious negative impact recent developments have had on international humanitarian efforts in the Gali region;

7. Reiterates that the primary responsibility for achieving peace rests upon the parties themselves and reminds them that the continued commitment of the international community to assist them depends on their progress in this regard;

8. Calls upon the parties to display without delay the necessary political will to achieve substantial results on the key issues of the negotiations, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, within the framework of the United Nations-led peace process and through direct dialogue, and to cooperate fully with the efforts made by the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, with the assistance of the Russian Federation as facilitator, as well as of the group of Friends of the Secretary-General and of the OSCE;

9. Welcomes the meeting of the parties held in Geneva on 23-25 July 1998 and calls upon them to continue and increase their active engagement in this process initiated by the Secretary-General aimed at achieving a comprehensive political settlement;

10. Reminds the parties of their commitments to take all measures in their power and to coordinate their efforts to ensure the security and safety of international personnel and calls upon them to implement fully and without delay those commitments, including the creation of a joint mechanism for investigation and prevention of acts that represent violations of the Moscow Agreement and terrorist acts in the zone of conflict;

11. Condemns the acts of violence against the personnel of UNOMIG, the renewed laying of mines in the Gali region and also the attacks by armed groups, operating in the Gali region from the Georgian side of the Inguri River, against the CIS peacekeeping force and demands that the parties, in particular the Georgian authorities, take determined measures to put a stop to such acts which subvert the peace process;

12. Reiterates its deep concern regarding the security of UNOMIG, welcomes the measures already taken to improve security conditions to minimize the danger to UNOMIG personnel and to create conditions for the implementation of its mandated tasks, underlines the need to continue to make further arrangements in this field, welcomes also the Secretary-General's instruction that the security of UNOMIG be kept under constant review and calls upon the two parties to facilitate the implementation of practical measures resulting from that review;

13. Expresses its concern at the mass media campaign launched in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the acts of harassment against UNOMIG, and calls upon the Abkhaz side to cease those acts;

14. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a new period terminating on 31 January 1999 subject to a review by the Council of the mandate of UNOMIG in the event of any changes that may be made in the mandate or in the presence of the CIS peacekeeping force;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep the Council regularly informed, to report three months after the date of the adoption of this resolution on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, including on the operations of UNOMIG, and expresses its intention to conduct a review of the Mission in the light of the report of the Secretary-General, taking into account in particular the progress made by the two parties in creating secure conditions in which UNOMIG can fulfil its existing mandate and establishing a political settlement;

16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.