THE PARLAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE RESOLUTION 1119 (1997)1 on the conflicts in Transcaucasia

1. The Assembly considers that maintaining the cease - fires, in force in the

Transcaucasian conflicts, particularly in Abkhazia and Nagorno - Karabakh since May 1994, should help to bring about political stabilisation in the zone of tension.

2. Following the various hearengs held by its Committee on Relations with European

Non - Member Countres, it hopes thet rapid, decisive progress towards a political settlement of these conflicts will be made.

3. The three Transcaucasian countres – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – all hold special guest status and have applied for full membership of the councel of Europe. The Assembly considers that a genuine political will by all the parties to settle these conflicts would help to speed up the accession procedures.

4. The Assembly appeals to all parties directly and indirectly involved in these conflicts to participate constructively in the mediation work conducted on the ground. particularly by the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Indepedent States (CIS) and the organisation for Security an d Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

5. Even though these two conflicts are different in nature, the Assembly stresses that their political settlment must be negotiated by all parties involved, drawing in particular on the following principles, wich are based upon the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 Paris Charter.

i. inviolability of borders;

ii. guaranteed security for all peoples in the areas concerned, particularly through

multinational peackeeping forces;

iii. extensive autonomy status for Abkhazia and Nagorno - Karabakh to be

negotiaded by all the parties concerned;

iv. right of return of refugees and displaced person and their reintegration respecting

human rights.

6. The Assembly considers that in the Transcaucasian countries, the Councel of

Europe should make a genuine contribution to establishing the rule of law, pluralist democracy, the protection of human rights the creation of social market economy.

7. The Assembly is interested to note certain signs of rapprochement between the

positions of Tbilisi and Sukhumi and hopes that a negotiated political settlement will soon be reached on the basis of the above - mentiond principles.

8. It hopes that the efforts of the parties concerned and also of the United Nations,

the OSCE and the Russian Fegeration, will soon lead to an institutional balance acceptable to both Tbilisi and Sukhumi, so that the refugees can return under optimum security conditions and the populations of the region can return to peace and economic prosperity.

22 April 1997

(www.coe.int)