AZERBAIJAN VOTES FOR, BUT ARMENIA AGAINST THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON ABKHAZIA

Azeri Press Agency
May 16 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova -APA. UN General Assembly has passed resolution
on the "Status of refugees and internally displaced persons in
Abkhazia (Georgia)". 14 countries, including Azerbaijan voted for,
but 11 against, including Armenia. 105 countries, including members
of European Union abstained during the voting.

Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, USA, Albania, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden voted
for and Russia, Armenia, Belarus, North Korea, India, Iran, Myanmar,
Serbia, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela voted against the resolution. The
resolution urged to schedule voluntary and immediate returning
of Abkhazian refugees and internally displaced persons to their
homelands. The document noted that it was inadmissible to change
the demographic situation existed before the Abkhazian conflict
and condemned all efforts toward this. The resolution requested
the UN Secretary General to submit a comprehensive report on the
implementation of this resolution. The resolution is non-binding
and its implementation is not constrained in distinction from the
resolution of UN Security Council.

Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili welcomed the
resolution. "This resolution recognizes facts of ethnic cleansing and
violation of international law in Abkhazia. The document guarantees
returning of refugees and internally displaced persons to their
homelands and their property rights and declares any economic
activities and other illegal actions as illegitimate. The General
Assembly requested UN Secretary General to make report on the
implementation of the resolution in September".