U.N. council votes to keep U.N. mission in Georgia

By Claudia Parsons

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Security Council on Thursday renewed the mandate of the U.N. mission in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia for four months to give Russia and the West time to agree on a long-term U.N. role there.

The force has been in Georgia since 1993 and has more than 120 military observers in Abkhazia. It does not operate in the separatist region of South Ossetia, where Tbilisi tried to regain control in August, prompting a Russian invasion.

The new mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Georgia, or UNOMIG, will expire on Feb. 15, 2009 -- after a new president takes office in the United States, which has been a vocal supporter of Georgia and critic of Russia's actions there.

Using obscure language and reference numbers, drafters of the seven-line resolution managed to avoid using the word "Georgia" -- a compromise between Russia and those who condemn Moscow's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Russia wanted to change the name of the mission and to invite representatives of the two breakaway states to the United Nations -- steps that could be seen as endorsing Russia's view that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are no longer part of Georgia.

Khalilzad said Russia had tried to hold the resolution hostage to those conditions.

"We were absolutely clear... that there would be no change in the name, there would be no advantage gained for the puppets to be brought in to the Security Council or to a ... meeting as a result of the excessive use of military force," he said.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the name of the U.N. mission would have to be "corrected" and said Security Council members should hear the views of the official representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.