Draft resolution on Georgia mission sent to UN Security Council
10:42, 16 June 2009
NEW YORK. June 16. KAZINFORM A group of seven countries on Monday formally submitted to the UN Security Council a draft resolution to extend the UN monitoring mission on the border between Georgia and Abkhazia, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
The current mandate expires at midnight New York time [04:00 Tuesday GMT]. If the mandate is not extended, the mission must wind up its activities in the region. Russia and the other Security Council members continue to disagree on the wording of a resolution to extend the mission.
The project, co-authored by Austria, Croatia, Germany, France, Turkey, Britain and the United States, extends the mission until June 30, 2009. It cites the three most recent Security Council resolutions on the issue, including Resolution 1808, adopted on April 2008 and confirming Georgia's territorial integrity.
The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized other members of the Security Council for their "politicized positions, which ignore the real interests of people in the Caucasus and jeopardize stability in the region," and urged its partners to review their stances.
At 18:00 Moscow time (14:00 GMT) the Security Council began consultations to decide on whether the resolution should be subject to a vote, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.