Georgian and Russian NGOs call Geneva summit to take care of the rights of Caucasian residents

Public organizations of Georgia and Russia and international human rights bodies urge the parties of the Geneva summit to be held on October 15, 2008, on the conflict in South Caucasus to make human rights a priority within international efforts aimed at settling the conflict.

"All the parties in the conflict shall respond for the violations of human rights and the international humanitarian law, where civilians became the main victims," runs the appeal that is now at the disposal of the "Caucasian Knot".

The NGOs, among them the Georgian "Priority of Human Rights", Association of Young Lawyers, and Russian "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre, Moscow Helsinki Group, "Demos" Centre, and also the International Non-Violence and International Youth Human Rights Movement, call the participants of the summit to reaffirm publicly the fundamental right of all the persons resettled during the conflict for safe and worthy return to places of permanent residence.

The participants of the summit should consider the issues related to enforcement of the right to return and define particular steps towards solution of this problem, the appeal further runs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has already informed that the Geneva event will consider the situation in Georgia and future role of the United Nations in the region. Apart from UN officials, the summit will be attended by EU and OSCE representatives.