Gzt. ru: Russia no loger considers PACE opinion in Chechnya

http://www.gzt.ru/rubricator.gzt?rubric=english&id=3155000000000391229.01.2003
   
Russia no longer considers PACE opinion on Chechnya

Chechnya has once again become the issue of serious disagreements  between Russia and PACE, as the Russian government is determined to  introduce a Chechnian constitution and legitimize power bodies, while  Europe continues insisting on negotiations with the separatists.  Meanwhile, human rights advocates have begun supporting Russia's  position: the President's plenipotentiary on human rights, Oleg  Mironov, harshly criticized PACE head Lord Jadd's position on  Chechnya and put forward a proposal to approve the "Chechnian and  Human Rights" declaration even before the republic's constitution is  passed.

Yesterday, PACE's political commission in charge of preparing a draft resolution on the situation in the Chechen Republic rejected almost  all the basic amendments to this document, proposed by the Russian  delegation. European parliamentarians listened to Lord Judd who  considers holding a referendum in Chechnya on March 23 to be too  premature. His recommendation to postpone the referendum will be  included in the final draft of the PACE resolution. In exchange,  Russian delegation head Dmitry Rogozin promised to raise the question  of replacing the PACE delegate to Chechnya. He had already expressed  his resentment towards Lord Judd after the hostage crisis in Moscow,  saying that the Lord had not reacted to the terrorist act  appropriately.

"PACE has demonstrated certain political tendencies – whatever the Russian leadership did for a political settlement in Chechnya, they  were not satisfied with it", claimed Sergey Kolmakov, the Fund For  Russian Parliamentarism vice-president. Russia will no longer  consider Europe's opinion, as the Chechen society is tired of not  having a legitimate power in the republic. Russia's course towards a  referendum and presidential elections in Chechnya will not  change. "The cold war between Russia and Europe will only strengthen  by March 23", believes the analyst. Europe, even after the hostage  crisis in Moscow's theatrical center, continues to insist on  negotiations with separatists, whilst the federal power is determined  to have a political settlement in Chechnya before the 2004  presidential elections.

Nevertheless, Russia's own human rights advocates have begun  supporting federal authorities: the President's plenipotentiary on  human rights, Oleg Mironov, appreciated the efforts made by the  federal center and Chechen administration to settle the situation in  Chechnya. Along with other Russian politicians he also criticized  Lord Judd's recommendation to postpone a constitution referendum in  Chechnya, "It would not be expedient. And, for how long could we postpone it? A week, a month, a year?"

Oleg Mironov has formulated a number of principals for the Chechnya and Human Rights declaration: human rights and freedom in the Chechen  Republic should correspond to an All-Russian state; the application  of armed forces in Chechen territory should be considered as a  serious crime against humanity, etc. "Such a declaration will be an  important prerequisite for the referendum, it will prepare public opinion", assured the ombudsman.

The Human Rights plenipotentiary gave a favorable assessment of the constitution draft itself. Although he is concerned about exceeding  the authorities of the Chechen president and the use of the  term "citizen of the Chechen Republic", "There are no citizens of  Moscow, for example, yet Moscow is the same subject of the federation", stressed Mironov.