YouSaid · the spoken record

Chikvaidze

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17
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1995-05-12
most recent
1995-05-12
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1
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un-security-council

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  1. “In closing, allow me to welcome the Security Council's intention to extend the mandate of UNOMIG, for we believe that the United Nations presence in the region is essential to its stability and to the peace process as a whole.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  2. “Future political adventurers must know that their deeds will not go unpunished, that any attempt to infringe on the territorial integrity of States or threaten the lives of innocent people will be severely prosecuted and the perpetrators brought to justice. In this context, we would welcome the establishment of an international criminal court, a permanent juridical body capable of addressing the most serious crimes posing a threat to the international community. We look forward to concluding a convention on the establishment of this critically needed body in the near future and are ready to cooperate closely with other Governments on this important issue.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  3. “Indeed, many Member States are currently embroiled in a struggle with their own secessionist movements. The particular relevance of the Georgian case for the rest of the world lies in the danger of the Abkhazian separatists' consolidating and legalizing their ill-gotten gains. This would set a most unwanted precedent for all Member States, a precedent of "victorious separatism" that would serve as an inspiration for every separatist movement worldwide. This is hardly the signal the United Nations wants to send on the eve of its fiftieth anniversary. All available means at the disposal of the United Nations should be brought to bear to resolve this problem so that it can enter its second half-century with a landmark achievement.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  4. “As the Secretary-General has said, genocide is plotted and carried out by cynical leaders who think that their crimes will go unpunished; moreover, they believe that their deeds will prevail. We possess more than enough evidence to prove that similar atrocities have been perpetrated by the Abkhaz separatists. Governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, are welcome to dispatch their representatives to Georgia for an impartial and fair examination of materials at our disposal. Aggressive separatism, which routinely entails these atrocities, is proving to be one of the most severe challenges on the eve of the twenty-first century. There is hardly a country today that does not have the potential for a conflict similar to the one in Georgia.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  5. “This step will carry both practical and psychological implications. The returnees must know that when they are back home they are going to be taken care of. We believe that the impartial recording of violations and repression may serve as a deterrent to potential perpetrators. This will also provide the international community with first-hand, reliable information and will offer means to prevent unlawful actions. The 1994 CSCE summit in Budapest expressed its deep concern over "ethnic cleansing" and the massive expulsion of people, predominantly Georgians, from the areas where they lived. In this regard, we commend the Security Council for noting these findings of the CSCE final Document. The world community strongly condemns the practice of genocide and "ethnic cleansing" and seeks to find effective measures for their prevention.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  6. “The return of the refugees must start from the Gali region under a strict timetable and continue in stages to other regions of Abkhazia. The present turn of events undoubtedly puts the question of the expansion of the mandates of both UNOMIG and the CIS peace-keeping forces back on the agenda, for we can no longer afford for them merely to be extended. In the light of the forthcoming CIS summit in Minsk, which will, inter alia, consider the extension of the mandate of the CIS peace-keeping forces and the means to improve their effectiveness, we would welcome the Security Council's broadening of the UNOMIG mandate. In order to step up the process of repatriation, observers must be charged with additional responsibilities, especially in monitoring and recording human rights violations.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  7. “But believe me, as time goes on, it is becoming more and more difficult. We realize that individual Member States, as well as the United Nations, are constrained in their actions, but, if combined, their joint efforts may yield positive results. We strongly believe that the Security Council must be more outspoken and clear on this matter. Taking into account the present realities, namely the intransigence of the Abkhaz authorities over the organized repatriation of refugees and displaced persons to Abkhazia, the Government of the Republic of Georgia deems that the following actions need to be taken. The foremost issue is the repatriation of refugees. If this problem is not solved, it will put the whole peace process in jeopardy.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  8. “No one is in a better position to relate what has happened in Gagra and Sukhumi, what is going on in Gali and in Abkhazia as a whole. The present situation compels me to repeat myself: people's patience is wearing thin. They are ready to cross the Inguri river in large groups, with or without the consent of the Abkhaz side. Though they are unarmed, it is not hard to imagine the welcome they will be given by the separatists. In January, we managed to prevent a dangerous sortie by several hundred armed people who had set out for Abkhazia. In future, the number of such actions may well increase and turn into a nationwide, uncontrollable march to Abkhazia. The Head of State of Georgia, Mr. Shevardnadze, is doing everything in his power to defuse the intensity of popular dissatisfaction and keep uncontrollable emotions in check.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  9. “The Secretary- General and the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations have had the opportunity to see their plight first hand. For the world today, caught up in the flames of numerous ethnic conflicts, 300,000 may not be a large number. However, the hardships of the refugees are shared by all Georgians, who see the refugees' repatriation as the foremost objective. In other words, we have 300,000 refugees who have the wholehearted support of 5 million Georgians. When they witness the helplessness of the international community's peace efforts, people's confidence in the effectiveness of international mechanisms is eroded and this could precipitate a disastrous outbreak of uncontrollable actions. I am accompanied here by Mr. Tamaz Nadareishvili, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  10. “We strongly believe that the Security Council should voice its concern on this matter and clearly condemn the attempts by the Abkhaz side to reach their secessionist goals through sophistries and the rape of international law. My people have always counted on the help of the United Nations, and have repeatedly expressed their confidence in the Organization and in the international community as a whole. Regrettably, with the passage of time, that attitude is showing signs of changing. There is a reason for that tendency: the Security Council has already adopted 12 resolutions and 6 presidential statements on Abkhazia; while those documents gave moral support, they were less effective in terms of yielding tangible, practical results. The 300,000 people displaced by the conflict have become refugees in their own homeland.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  11. “Now, when we have finally worked out a document reflecting the political status of the autonomous republic and obtained concurrence on it from the representatives of the United Nations and the Russian Federation; now, when the prospect of a federative arrangement for Georgia has taken on a practical dimension; and now, when the Abkhaz representatives have been invited to work with us to draft a new constitution - Ardzinba comes up with a new proposal. Contrary to the resolutions of the Security Council, which reaffirms Georgia's territorial integrity, while formally agreeing to a federative order for our State, he offers to sign an agreement between two subjects of international law, thereby dragging out the negotiations and threatening not only Georgia's integrity, but also setting a pattern for the endless fragmentation of States.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  12. “His no-compromise policy is bringing our peaceful efforts to naught and could ultimately damage the peace talks beyond repair. However, past experience would suggest that by acting irresponsibly he is seeking to gain time. The question of the settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia has undoubtedly reached a crucial point as a result of the new turn of events. From the outset, Ardzinba has demanded that the political status of Abkhazia should be defined, as a precondition for the return of the refugees.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  13. “However, it is not easy to carry on peaceful negotiations with a party that resorts to "ethnic cleansing" and genocide as a means of consolidating its ill-gotten gains. As members are aware, about 300,000 refugees and displaced persons are now scattered throughout Georgia, further draining its devastated economy and posing a serious threat to nascent market reforms. In light of this situation, it was sheer cynicism on the part of Ardzinba to write a letter to the High Commissioner for Refugees requesting financial support for the return of just 200 refugees per week. If we proceed according to his timetable, instead of an unconditional and orderly return the refugees would have to queue up for decades in humiliation, ignorant of their own fates. Ardzinba's regime has always sought to thwart the peace process.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  14. “Unfortunately, that is a characteristic trait of the phenomenon known as "aggressive separatism", which emerged from the debris of the communist system and is being nurtured by its die-hard followers. It does not consider compromise a moral category, and tends to ignore fundamental principles of international law. Obsessed with that ideology, the Abkhaz leadership has blatantly violated all the peace agreements that were expected to bring about a cease-fire and a constructive dialogue between parties. Despite the bitter experience of treachery, the Georgian Government has always remained committed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict based on the self-respect and honour of all parties involved. We have never turned our backs on the peace process, nor have we attempted to resort to military force.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  15. “While public opinion on how our society and different political leaders should handle them may vary, there is clear unanimity and resolve when it comes to threats to the territorial integrity of the country and the continuing anguish and ordeal of the thousands of people expelled from their homeland. Indeed, nothing can change our resolve to achieve the unconditional and timely return of the refugees to their homes, to reach a fair, negotiated settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia and thereby define its political status within the borders of a unified Georgia as recognized by the international community. The Abkhaz leadership, however, constantly seeks to evade, ignore and negotiate away its obligations, Security Council resolutions calling for the unconditional return of refugees notwithstanding.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  16. “I should like to express my gratitude to the members of the group of countries known as "Friends of Georgia" and the Russian Federation as facilitator for their tireless efforts to bring about a comprehensive political settlement of the protracted conflict in my country. Allow me also to commend the joint activities being carried out by the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the peace-keeping forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for monitoring the cease-fire. During my visit to New York I have had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the States members of the Security Council and wish to thank all of them for their sincere concern and understanding of our problems. In its efforts to achieve political and economic reforms, Georgia faces a multitude of problems.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source

  17. “Allow me at the outset, Sir, to congratulate you on your assumption of the functions of President of the Security Council for this month. We believe that under your skilful guidance the Security Council will successfully continue its difficult work. On behalf of the Head of State, Mr. Eduard Shevardnadze, and the people of the Republic of Georgia, I should like to extend my warmest words of appreciation to the United Nations and its Security Council and, personally, to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, as well as to his Special Envoy, Ambassador Brunner, for the attention and goodwill they have accorded the dramatic processes in Georgia.”

    1995-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3535 (1995) · source