S/PV.3295 Security Council

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Georgia, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Chikvaidze (Georgia), took a place at the Council table.

On behalf of the Council, I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. Alexander Chikvoidze. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Security Council is meeting in response to the request contained in a letter dated 13 October 1993 from the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/26576). Members of the Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General concerning the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, contained in document S/26551. Members of the Council also have before them document S/26592, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the Council’s prior consultations. I should like to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the following other documents: S/26487 and S/26528, letters dated 24 September 1993 and 4 October 1993, respectively, from the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. It is my understanding that the Security Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution (S/26592) before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall now put the draft resolution to the vote. There being no objection, it is so decided. A vote was taken by show of hands. In favour: Brazil, Cape Verde, China, Djibouti, France, Hungary, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 876 (1993). I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Mr. WALKER (United States of America): The United States supported this resolution because it underlines once again what must be done to bring peace to Georgia. The Abkhaz side must bear the responsibility for its unilateral violation of the cease-fire agreement of 27 July 1993 to which it voluntarily assented. The painful results of that aggression are written in the suffering and misery of the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who have been (The President) uprooted from their homes in the region. Along with the rest of the international community, we shall study carefully the report of the Secretary-General’s fact-finding mission, in particular its findings on the subject of alleged acts of "ethnic cleansing". International condemnation of the Abkhaz side is a consequence of its unjustified use of force. The way to rectify the situation is clear: engagement in good faith in a political process that the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy are attempting to set in motion, in keeping with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia. My Government calls upon the Abkhaz side to engage immediately in that process in order to bring peace to this troubled part of the world and to avoid further action by the international community. Mr. MERIMEE (France) (interpretation from French): My Government is gravely concerned at the deterioration of the situation in Georgia that followed by the breaking by the Abkhaz side of the cease-fire agreement of 27 July. The withdrawal of Georgian forces and authorities from the Abkhaz region has resulted in numerous violations of human rights, and there have also been alarming reports of atrocities and acts of "ethnic cleansing". Finally, tens of thousands of refugees have fled Abkhazia and are now suffering grave deprivation. In those circumstances, my delegation welcomes the resolution adopted by our Council today. From a humanitarian standpoint, it supports the Secretary-General’s decision to send a fact-finding mission to look into those violations of human rights. In the resolution the Council calls upon the parties to facilitate the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes and urges (Mr. Walker, United States) Member States to contribute towards the humanitarian-assistance efforts already provided. Furthermore - and this is an essential point - all States are called upon to prevent the provision of any assistance other than humanitarian assistance to the Abkhaz side, in particular the supply of weapons and munitions, which so far it has not been lacking. Turning to substance, I wish to say that my Government says particular attention to every effort which could lead to a comprehensive political settlement. The deployment of the first observers of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), decided upon last August, was a primary condition for this, because there can be no settlement without a lasting cease-fire. The situation created in Abkhazia, however, raises questions about the future of UNOMIG. We approve, in this regard, the holding measures taken by the Secretary-General and hope that he will soon report to us on any new measures he intends to propose. Conversations undertaken with the parties separately in Geneva last week by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General represent a first element of hope for the establishment of talks. My delegation welcomes in this regard the support given by the Council to the continuation of the efforts of Ambassador Brunner in cooperation with the Chairman-in-Office of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. We very much hope, from this standpoint, that the conditions will very soon be spelled out for holding a conference under the auspices of the United Nations, or according to any other formula which would win the consent of the parties. (Mr. Mérimée, France) My delegation awaits with interest the forthcoming report of the Secretary-General on the future of UNOMIG and on the political aspects of the role which the United Nations could play. Sir David HANNAY (United Kingdom): The vote which I have just cast in favour of this resolution reflects among other things the support of the British Government, in political terms, for the Government of Georgia in its hour of travail and need today, and for Mr. Shevardnadze, who has been elected as Head of the Parliament by the members of the Parliament. Our support was reflected as recently as last week in a visit to Tbilisi by the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr. Douglas Hogg. We are deeply concerned at the events that have followed the abrogation by Abkhaz separatists of the cease-fire that had been negotiated. Not only have the immediate and direct effects of that abrogation, which is condemned in the resolution, been extremely serious, but the knock-on effects on the stability of the whole of Georgia have also been detrimental in the extreme, and that is the significance of the reference in the resolution to the peace and stability of the region, which we believe to be seriously threatened by these events. We believe there is a need for restraint by all sides and for serious action to be taken to prevent military supplies reaching the separatists if this problem is not to become even worse than it is already. We welcome the dispatch by the Secretary-General of a Mission to look into the human-rights situation in Georgia, where we fear many breaches of international humanitarian law have taken place in recent days and terrible suffering has been caused thereby. Finally, we ourselves have contributed to the humanitarian efforts to relieve the suffering of the people of Georgia, and we (Mr. Mérimée, France) (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) would address an appeal to all other Members of the United Nations to make a contribution now to the work of the international humanitarian agencies, both governmental and non-governmental. Mr. VORONTSOV (Russian Federation) (interpretation from Russian): First, I should like to welcome here at the table of the Security Council the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Georgia, Aleksandr Davidovich Chikvaidze. His participation in the work of the Council will give the resolution we have just adopted a special importance. The Russian Federation attaches enormous importance to the prompt settlement of the Abkhaz conflict. In Russia, deep concern was felt at the violation by the Abkhazian side of the Sochi cease- fire agreement, dated 27 July 1993, and at the continuing wide- spread violence in Abkhazia. The Government of the Russian Federation, in the firmest possible way, called on the Abkhazian side to bring to a halt its flouting of human rights and its massive "ethnic cleansing", to cease its looting and banditry and to return to the Sochi agreements. If this is not done, we can in no way consider the lifting of our Russian sanctions against Abkhazia. The Russian Federation, which has made its own contribution to bringing about the Sochi agreement is prepared to cooperate in the future with the United Nations in making energetic efforts to help to launch forthwith an effective machinery for international monitoring of the cease-fire. We feel that in this respect the fact that the Security Council has adopted this resolution is extremely important. At their meeting in Moscow on 8 October, the Heads of the States of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed the necessity of the United Nations and other international (Mr. Vorontsov, Russian Federation) organizations making an effective contribution to peacemaking operations and the attainment of a peaceful political settlement of the conflicts in the Trans-Caucasus, and they also supported the efforts of Russia in this direction. We attach tremendous importance to the beginning of a political dialogue, under the auspices of the United Nations, and with Russia acting as a facilitator, aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement of this conflict. In this connection, we welcome the intention of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Georgia, Ambassador Edouard Brunner, to continue to help bring about a firm agreement between the parties to the conflict for its peaceful settlement. We believe that, in view of the complexity of this problem, only a smooth pooling of the efforts of the United Nations, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and other parties involved, and their close interaction, will make it possible to ensure that the peace process is not reversed. Mr. ERDÖS (Hungary) (interpretation from French): I am very pleased, first, at the presence in our midst today of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. Chikvaidze. His presence underscores even further the seriousness of the problems that have come up in the Abkhaz territories of the Republic of Georgia. Hungary voted in favour of resolution 876 (1993). The violation by the Abkhaz side of the Sochi cease-fire agreement, the violations of international humanitarian law, the reported cases of "ethnic cleansing" and the continuation of armed actions aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia are all deeply disturbing and reprehensible. They are, furthermore, the manifestation of a dangerous tendency, emerging in several hotbeds of tension in the world to believe that by blithely disregarding obligations assumed and by resorting to brutal acts contrary to the most fundamental norms of international law, certain objectives can be attained with impunity - by fire and sword, if necessary - because of the passivity or even the complaisance of the international community. Hungary is convinced that everything must be done to stem the spread of such beliefs and attitudes. The unanimous adoption of the resolution today confirms once again that the international community rejects the use of violence to settle problems which could be resolved by political means. It shows the international will to resist the unleashing of nationalist emotions and passions of all kinds, manifested by, inter alia, the acquisition of territory by force and "ethnic cleansing". We expect all parties to be fully prepared to cooperate with the Mission which the United Nations is to send to Georgia, which will be a fact-finding Mission regarding violations of international humanitarian law. The importance of the help of the Russian Federation as a mediator in halting the hostilities and in efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to existing problems should not be underestimated. Hungary attaches great importance to cooperation with the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in dealing with the crisis in Georgia. We believe that the activities of the United Nations and the CSCE should in the future be more efficiently coordinated. The activities of the two organizations must complement each other and the exchange of information between the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the representatives of the Chairman-in-Office of the CSCE should be an integral part of international activities in Georgia from now on. (Mr. Erdös, Hungary) The forthcoming trip to that country by the representative of the Chairman-in-Office of the CSCE, in order to prepare for the visit by the Chairman, and the detailed report he has been asked to submit on the situation in Abkhazia will undoubtedly be valuable contributions to the efforts to bring about an overall settlement of the conflict in Georgia, in all its aspects. Hungary fully supports the efforts along these lines being made by the Secretary- General and his Special Envoy, Ambassador Brunner. We hope that peace and stability will soon be restored to all parts of this country of the Caucasus. Mr. HATANO (Japan): Japan is gravely concerned about the turmoil in Abkhazia and the western part of Georgia. There is an urgent need to achieve a peaceful settlement within the framework of the Sochi agreement and the previous resolutions of the Council. I believe that by adopting another resolution today we have once again clearly demonstrated the Council’s position. It is hoped that the Council will in due course examine the future role of UNOMIG and the United Nations. We should pay particular attention to the question of humanitarian relief and the suppression of grave violations of humanitarian law. There are a number of alarming reports regarding the humanitarian situation. Violations of basic humanitarian rights and the practice of "ethnic cleansing" can never be justified. Moreover, it is hoped that the Council will be kept informed of the situation as it develops, including the possible involvement of regional organizations. But the prerequisite to all our efforts is the political will of the leadership concerned to re-establish a cease-fire and reach a comprehensive political settlement. In this context, Japan strongly supports the efforts of the Special Envoy of the (Mr. Erdös, Hungary) Secretary-General and appeals to all those concerned to assure him of their full cooperation. In addition, as was stated by the Head of State, Mr. Shevardnadze, on 18 April, the efforts of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be highly relevant and important. In particular, we hope that the Russian Federation will continue to assume a constructive role and that it will exhaust every appropriate means. Japan, for its part, is ready to continue to provide humanitarian assistance, including medicine and fuels. Mr. PEDAUYE (Spain) (interpretation from Spanish): The Spanish delegation is profoundly concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Abkhazia. We regret that the hard-won Sochi agreement has not been respected, and we believe it is necessary to reaffirm once again that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia must be formally and clearly respected. I think we are still witnessing the threat to peace and stability in the region to which the Council referred in its previous resolution, 858 (1993) of 24 August. The Spanish delegation appeals to all the parties to the conflict to refrain from any violation of the norms of international humanitarian law. In this regard, we are very concerned at the grave violations that are taking place - even including cases of the abominable practice known as "ethnic cleansing" - which, basically, seem to be committed by the Abkhaz side. We await the results of the fact-finding mission the Secretary-General will be sending to the Republic of Georgia to investigate these violations and to shed light on the cases of "ethnic cleansing". We firmly believe that all States are obliged (Mr. Hatano, Japan) to see to it that no type of assistance whatsoever, with the exception of humanitarian assistance, is given from their territories to the Abkhaz side of the conflict. The Spanish authorities firmly and decidedly support he Secretary-General’s efforts, in cooperation with the Security Council and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and backed up by the mediation of the Russian Federation, to carry forward the peace process with a view to achieving the much-hoped- for overall political settlement of the conflict in the Republic of Georgia. Before concluding, I should like to welcome the presence here today among us of the Minister for Foreign Relations of Georgia and, through him, to convey a very special message of solidarity and encouragement from the Spanish authorities to the Government he represents and to President Shevardnadze. The unanimous vote on the resolution we have adopted today clearly demonstrates the support of the international community represented in this Council.

There are no other names on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 1 p.m. (Mr. Pedauye, Spain)