WORLD
GEORGIA: UN CHAIRS MEETING AIMED AT ADVANCING PEACE PROCESS
The closed meeting, chaired by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guйhenno, brought together the "Friends of Georgia" - France, Germany, the Russian Federation the United Kingdom and the United States.
Representatives of the Georgian Government are also participating in the talks.
The conflict in Abkhazia - strategically located on the Black Sea in the northwestern part of Georgia - dates back to 1992 when social unrest escalated into armed confrontation. In August 1993, the Security Council established the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) to monitor a ceasefire agreement. Although the operation's mandate was subsequently expanded after the parties signed another agreement in 1994, the peace process has remained largely stalled in recent years.