OSCE Chairman concerned at holding of Abkhaz "presidential election"

SOFIA, 4 October 2004 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy expressed his concern about the holding of presidential elections yesterday by the Abkhaz leadership on the territory under its control.

Minister Passy said that the Organization supported the territorial integrity of Georgia and did not recognize the independence of Abkhazia nor the elections held on 3 October.

He noted that a large part of the population was displaced outside Abkhazia and thus excluded from voting. This disqualified the elections as illegitimate and unacceptable.

"Refugees and internally-displaced persons should be enabled to return to their homes in Abkhazia in safety and dignity before any election in the region can be held", he said.

The position of the OSCE remained one of support for the UN-led negotiation process in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. This maintains that the final status of Abkhazia must be resolved through peaceful negotiations.