SUKHUMI. Feb 14 (Interfax-AVN) - A Russian airborne peacekeeping battalion will be replaced with corresponding units of the Land Forces in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone by March 1, Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich, deputy commander of the Land Forces in charge of peacekeeping troops, told Interfax- Military News Agency on Thursday.
Units of the North Caucasus military district will be deployed in the conflict zone, Yevnevich said.
The collective peacekeeping forces in the zone will have single command. Their main mission is the division of parties and maintenance of stability in the area.
No changes will be made to the forces' mandate and the security zone will not be expanded because such decisions must be made at a CIS summit, the commander said.
Yevnevich arrived in Abkhazia on Wednesday. The day before, he went to Tbilisi to meet with officials of the Georgian Defense Ministry and the command of the Russian troops group in the Trans- Caucasus.
On Thursday, the Russian military met with Abkhaz Deputy Prime Minister Raul Khadzhimba and UN chief military observer General Anis Bajwa. He is expected to negotiate with Abkhaz Defense Minister Vladimir Mikanba on Friday.