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Georgia: UNOMIG patrols jointly with CIS PKF the Kodori valley

Countries
Georgia
Sources
UNOMIG
Publication date

PR/2006/75

Tbilisi, 13 October, 2006 - A joint UNOMIG/CIS PKF patrol was launched to the lower Kodori Valley on 11 October and to the upper Kodori Valley on 12 October. UNOMIG would like to thank the Georgian side for elaborate security arrangements as well as accessibility to all the areas that the joint patrol had asked for. UNOMIG would also like to thank the Abkhaz side for their cooperation for the joint patrol in the lower Kodori Valley.

The patrol to upper Kodori Valley is part of the UNOMIG mandate and its joint nature and composition is in accordance with various UN Security Council resolutions as well as protocols/agreements of both the sides. The joint patrol to the upper Kodori Valley was a one day patrol which covered substantial area of upper Kodori Valley, though not complete.

The preliminary observations are as follows:

The joint patrol was informed that the total strength of the Georgian law enforcement agencies personnel in upper Kodori Valley is 550. The patrol checked identity documents of some of the personnel and found out that they belonged to various departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The patrol was able to visibly determine not more than the stated strength of the law enforcement agencies personnel in the valley.

The joint patrol found no heavy weapons "deployed" in the areas that were patrolled but it took stock of the weapons reportedly seized during the special operations which were separately stored and which included some heavy weapons (6 x 120mm mortars, 6 x 82mm mortars, a 76mm anti-aircraft gun in a partly worn but serviceable condition, an unserviceable ZSU 23-4 turret without a chassis, some MANPADS) and ammunition of sorts. It also witnessed two MTLBs which had no weapon mounting capability.

The Georgian law enforcement authorities were requested for an inventory of these weapons so that its disposal could be jointly monitored.

The joint patrol has achieved some degree of transparency which needs to be sustained through regular patrolling of and periodic verifications in the upper Kodori Valley in accordance with the existing and agreed mechanisms to which UNOMIG is bound.

UNOMIG is confident that this joint patrol and subsequent ones on a regular basis will pave the way for further progress in the peace process.

For more information, please contact:

UNOMIG Public Information Office
Tel: +995 32 507 200
Fax: +995 32 507 207
E-mail: unomig-pio@un.org
Web site: www.unomig.org