1.
Membership with the Council of Europe commits all member States to collective
responsibility towards democracy, human rights and the rule of law and hence
implies refraining from the use of force among member States and the
settlement of disputes in accordance with international law;
2.
Frozen conflicts in the Caucasus, including those where active fighting has
stopped, continue to represent a danger to stability, since the resumption of
violence can never be excluded;
3.
The Assembly considers that the Council of Europe must intensify its
involvement in the Caucasus and work actively with the countries concerned in
order to give new impetus to the peace and stabilisation processes in the
region;
4.
The peace-keeping and law enforcement efforts taken by Georgia and the Russian
Federation on their respective territory along their common border must be
pursued further;
5.
Article 51 of the UN Charter and Resolution 1269 (1999) of the UN Security
Council on international terrorism as well as Resolution 1368 (2001) of the UN
Security Council of 12 September 2001 do not authorise the use of military
force by the Russian Federation or any other State on Georgian territory;
6.
The Assembly stands ready to offer good offices and a platform for dialogue
between parliamentarians from Georgia and the Russian Federation in this
context;
7.
The Assembly welcomes an agreement between the delegations of the Russian
Federal Assembly and of the Parliament of Georgia on the need to send a joint
fact-finding mission of the PACE, with participation by the Russian and
Georgian sides, to Moscow, Tbilisi and the conflict area, to report to the
Bureau of the Assembly.
8.
The Assembly encourages the development of the work of the special
representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Tbilisi,
to be appointed in order to facilitate Council of Europe assistance to the
Georgian authorities and co-operate with other international organisations
present;
9.
The Assembly calls on the authorities of Georgia:
i.
to re-affirm its commitment to solve the conflicts on its territory only by
peaceful means and, in this connection, to refrain from any action in direct
or indirect support to forces inclined to solve these conflicts by force;
ii.
to take decisive measures with a view to demonstrating its resolution to
continue democratic reforms in the country, in particular in the light of
the local elections of June 2002;
iii.
to pursue their efforts towards substantial progress as regards the
implementation of the commitments, which Georgia accepted when it joined the
Council of Europe;
iv.
to co-operate with all States concerned as regards the fight against
terrorism and to take the necessary measures to ensure the rule of law on
all parts of its territory, including the Pankissi valley;
v.
to take strict measures with a view to combating corruption and criminal
activities;
vi.
to bring transparency to the distribution of foreign aid with a view to
ensuring that autonomous regions receive a fair part of it;
vii.
to intensify the dialogue both at governmental and parliamentary levels with
the Russian Federation with a view to seeking solutions to the issues, which
create tensions in the relations between these two countries;
10.
The Assembly appeals to Abkhaz and South Ossetian leaders to abandon their
harsh positions and accept to engage in serious negotiations about the status
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia within Georgia;
11.
The Assembly calls on the authorities of the Russian Federation:
i.
to refrain from any action or declarations, which might interfere in the
internal affairs of Georgia or violate the sovereignty and the territorial
integrity of Georgia, in particular from launching any military action on
Georgian territory as expressed by the President of the Russian Federation
on 11 September 2002;
ii.
to refrain from any unilateral measures affecting Georgia and its citizens,
in particular as regards Abkhazia and South Ossetia, without prior
discussion with and the agreement of the Georgian authorities, including in
the fields of economic assistance and the freedom of movement of persons and
goods, in particular with respect to visas, customs and passport issues;
iii.
to intensify the dialogue both at governmental and parliamentary levels with
Georgia with a view to seeking solutions to the issues, which so far have
created tensions in the relations between these two countries;
iv.
to remove their military bases in Georgia as soon as possible in accordance
with the agreement reached with Georgia;
12.
The Assembly recommends to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe:
i.
to encourage all action by the Secretary General to resolve the security
issues on a multilateral basis in accordance with the objectives of the
Council of Europe;
ii.
to co-operate in the context of the United Nations conflict settlement
mechanisms in Abkhazia and South Ossetia with the European Union, given the
economic and technical assistance which the European Union is providing to
facilitate the peace process;
iii.
to co-operate with the OSCE with regard to their monitoring action in
Georgia and provide the necessary means for a Council of Europe
participation in this monitoring action;
iv.
to intensify its assistance programmes to Georgia with a view to
strengthening democratic reforms;
v.
to initiate, with all the parties and countries concerned, a discussion on
the perspectives for an increased regional co-operation.
Assembly
debate on 25 September 2002 (28th Sitting) (see Doc. 9564,
report of the Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Mrs Lörcher). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 25 September 2002 (28th
Sitting).
