TBILISI. April 10 (Interfax-AVN) - The Georgian authorities believe that the peacekeeping operation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone is at the end of its row.
Commenting on the results of talks with Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich, Russian Land Forces deputy commander in charge of peacekeeping troops, Georgian Emergencies Minister Malkhaz Kakabadze told reporters on Wednesday that "it is high time to think about some new functions of the peacekeeping forces stationed in Abkhazia."
According to Georgian officials the new functions must have "a civil element", in particular, the conflict zone should be patrolled by police forces of both parties.
The CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces were deployed to the conflict zone in 1994 in accordance with a decision of leaders of the CIS states these being Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The forces are manned with Russian servicemen.
The line of separation of the conflicting parties is fixed along the Inguri River, and a 12km-wide security zone is established along it. There is also an armament limitation zone, also 12km wide, where the parries are forbidden to maintain heavy ordnance.
The forces have some 2,000 servicemen, 140 pieces of armored vehicles and four helicopters. Russian peacekeepers carry out military service together with representatives of the conflicting parties at 27 observation points and three checkpoints.
The mandate of the forces does not envisage police functions. It is up to law-enforcers of Georgia and Abkhazia to maintain public order on the territories they control.