15 juin 2009 - Conseil de sécurité : la situation en Géorgie - Véto russe - Remarques à la presse de M. Jean-Maurice Ripert, représentant permanent de la France auprès des Nations unies

Let me just stress on behalf of France that we had more than a technical disagreement with the Russians. They wanted the Council to take note of the existence of the "Republic of Abkhazia" : this would be impossible, we could not and we will not compromise on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Let me speak a little bit about the situation on the ground, because what is important beyond this veto is the future of the civilian population in Georgia and in Abkhazia, Georgia. We hope that all the parties which have forces on the ground, which includes Russia, will exert maximum restraint, that they will behave, that they will abide by their commitments—they have signed agreements, including with the European Union in August and September 2008. And we hope that they will do what is necessary to protect the civilian population and that they will engage in political dialogue so as to find a political solution to this conflict in Georgia.