At the insistence of representatives of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government in exile, the Georgian parliament included in its agenda this week a constitutional amendment designating the breakaway unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia an autonomous republic within Georgia. The constitution adopted in 1995 failed to define the region's status within Georgia pending the restoration of the central government's control over the entire territory of Georgia. Deputies approved the proposed amendment unanimously on 10 October by 167 votes. It is not clear how that move will affect efforts by the UN to mediate a solution to the conflict on the basis of a draft document "Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competencies Between Tbilisi and Sukhumi." (RFE/RL)