NEW YORK, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - The UN Security Council unanimously approved an extension of the mandate for its observer mission in Georgia on Monday by another six months, until April 15, 2008.
The UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was established on August 24, 1993 by a UN Security Council resolution in order to monitor a ceasefire between Georgia and its self-proclaimed breakaway republic of Abkhazia.
Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, sparking a bloody conflict in the region.
The UN Security Council also demanded on Monday, in a unanimously-adopted resolution, that Georgia ensure the free movement of Russian peacekeepers in the region, noting their stabilizing role.
Earlier, Georgia had demanded that Russian peacekeepers be withdrawn and replaced with an international contingent.
Mutual accusations of ceasefire violations have been frequent from both Abkhazia and Georgia, whose President Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed to regain control of the breakaway region.
The most recent peace talks broke off when Tbilisi sent troops into Kodori in July and established a parallel Abkhaz administration there.
Russia's envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin said on Monday that the UN has no doubts regarding the present format of talks on the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. The talks involve the participation of Russia and its peacekeeping contingent,
"Unfortunately, Georgia intends to block the negotiating process in this or that way, and then complains about its ineffectiveness. Such approaches do not find understanding in the UN," he added.
