The Security Council,

Recalling all its relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 1225 (1999) of 28 January 1999, and the statement of its President of 7 May 1999 (S/PRST/1999/11),

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 20 July 1999 (S/1999/805),

Noting the letter of the President of Georgia to the Secretary-General dated 19 July 1999 (S/1999/809, annex),

Stressing that, notwithstanding positive developments on some issues, the lack of progress on key issues of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia, is unacceptable,

Deeply concerned at the continuing volatile situation in the conflict zone, welcoming in this regard the important contributions that the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS peacekeeping force) continue to make in stabilizing the situation in the zone of conflict, noting that the working relationship between UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force has been good at all levels, and stressing the importance of continuing and increasing close cooperation and coordination between them in the performance of their respective mandates,

Recalling the conclusions of the Lisbon summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (S/1997/57, annex) regarding the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia,

Reaffirming the necessity for the parties strictly to respect human rights, and 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,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 20 July 1999;

2. Demands that the parties to the conflict widen and deepen their commitment to the United Nations-led peace process, continue to expand their dialogue and contacts at all levels and display without delay the necessary will to achieve substantial results on the key issues of the negotiations;

3. Strongly supports the sustained efforts of 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 OSCE to promote the stabilization of the situation and to give new impetus to the negotiations within the United Nations-led peace process in order to achieve a comprehensive political settlement, and commends the tireless efforts of the retiring Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Liviu Bota, in carrying out his mandate;

4. Emphasizes, in this context, that the readiness and ability of the international community to assist the parties depend on their political will to resolve the conflict through dialogue and mutual accommodation and on their acting in good faith to implement promptly concrete measures towards bringing about a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict;

5. Underlines the necessity for the parties to achieve an early and comprehensive political settlement, which includes a settlement on the political status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia, which fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, and supports the intention of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, in close cooperation with the Russian Federation, in its capacity as facilitator, the OSCE and the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General, to continue to submit proposals for the consideration of the parties on the distribution of constitutional competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi as part of a comprehensive settlement;

6. Considers unacceptable and illegitimate the holding of self-styled elections in Abkhazia, Georgia;

7. Expresses its continuing concern at the situation of refugees and displaced persons, in particular those resulting from the hostilities of May 1998, reaffirms the unacceptability of the demographic changes resulting from the conflict and the imprescriptible right of all refugees and displaced persons affected by the conflict 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), and calls upon the parties to address this issue urgently by agreeing and implementing effective measures to guarantee the security of those who exercise their unconditional right to return;

8. Welcomes, in this context, the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to facilitate, as a first step, the safe return of refugees and displaced persons to the Gali region, and emphasizes, in this regard, that the lasting return of the refugees cannot be ensured without concrete results from the bilateral dialogue between the parties which produce the necessary security and legal guarantees;

9. Takes note with appreciation of the agreements reached at the meetings of 16-18 October 1998 and 7-9 June 1999, hosted respectively by the Governments of Greece and Turkey, aimed at building confidence, improving security and developing cooperation, and calls upon the parties to enhance their efforts to implement those decisions in an effective and comprehensive manner, notably at the prospective meeting in Yalta at the invitation of the Government of Ukraine;

10. Demands that both sides observe strictly the Moscow Agreement of 14 May 1994 on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces (S/1994/583, annex I), and takes note with appreciation, in this context, of the substantial progress reported towards setting up a joint investigation mechanism for violations of the Agreement, as well as of the greater restraint exercised by the parties along the line of separation of forces;

11. Condemns the ongoing activities by armed groups, which endanger the civilian population, impede the work of the humanitarian organizations and seriously delay the normalization of the situation in the Gali region, reiterates its concern regarding the security of UNOMIG, welcomes the implementation of measures in this regard and requests the Secretary-General to keep the security of UNOMIG under constant review;

12. Decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a new period terminating on 31 January 2000, 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;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep the Council regularly informed and to report three months from the date of the adoption of this resolution on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia;

14. Expresses its intention to conduct a thorough review of the operation at the end of its current mandate, in the light of steps taken by the parties to achieve a comprehensive settlement;

15. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

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