By Ahto Lobjakas

The European Union's top aid official in Russia says Moscow has done very little -- if anything -- to improve the humanitarian situation in its breakaway republic of Chechnya. Philippe Royan says that four years after the start of the republic's second conflict, Chechnya remains one of the most difficult aid operations in the world.

Brussels, 3 October 2003 (RFE/RL) -- Philippe Royan is in an unenviable position.

As the European Union's top humanitarian aid official for Russia and the Caucasus, Royan is in charge of one of the bloc's more substantial aid budgets -- amounting to 110 million euros since autumn 1999, with an extra 26 million euros in the pipeline.

Yet, Royan -- and the EU -- have very little to show for the money.

Royan describes the conditions facing nongovernmental organizations subcontracted by the EU to deliver aid in Chechnya as among the "most difficult in the world."

"[The situation is] difficult," he said. "Chechnya is one of the most difficult operations to implement in the world. Every operation has its specificities, being more or less difficult to implement. Chechnya must be categorized as a difficult one because of the lack of security, [the] lack of access."

While security problems are not surprising in an environment characterized by continuous low-intensity warfare, bureaucratic obstacles are cited by humanitarian aid workers as presenting almost as much of an obstacle to their work.

Royan says the European Commission's humanitarian aid office (ECHO) -- has spent six months in a futile effort to establish a permanent presence in the North Caucasus. Its closest office is now located in Moscow.

"We don't have yet a field office in the Northern Caucasus, [which is] something we [have been] trying to do for six months," Royan said. "It's a bit difficult. You need a lot of clearances from the local authorities to register an organization. This is something all the NGOs are facing in the Northern Caucasus -- to get registered, to be reregistered year after year and to get all the registrations for their international staff."

Royan says it seems to make no difference to the Russian authorities whether they are dealing with NGOs or the EU's executive body. The process, he says, is equally time-consuming and inundated by paperwork. Many NGOs, including ECHO, have resorted to hiring staff members who specialize in overcoming bureaucratic obstacles.

To complicate matters, Russia denies aid workers the ability to use radio communication equipment. Moscow has also refused to issue licenses necessary for the use of radio frequencies. Royan adds that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other donors are still struggling to be exempted from Russia's value-added tax requirements.

Security problems are rife in the area. Another EU official, who asked not to be named, said the worst affected among aid workers are doctors, who often face harassment from both sides, depending on who they treat. Several doctors have been forced to leave Chechnya after threats were made.

Royan also cites the abduction last year of the head of the Swiss mission of the French agency Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) in the Daghestani capital, Makhachkala. Although Russian authorities have promised cooperation at the highest levels, no progress has been reported so far.

As far as alleged human rights violations go, Royan says his office steers clear of the issue for fear of jeopardizing its humanitarian mission.

"We are the office [at] the European Commission for humanitarian aid," he said. "We don't deal with human-rights issues, although we finance some partners who in the field encounter, witness, [and in] some cases are linked to human rights [issues], and they will separately report on that. But we make [it] clear [to our] partners that they shouldn't mix the two things because it could jeopardize our capacity to deliver humanitarian aid."

Another EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that ECHO regularly receives reports of human rights abuses in Chechnya. The official said NGOs are encouraged to compile their information and forward it to the UNHCR. The EU does give some financial support to Russian and Western organizations dealing with human-rights abuses.

The EU official also noted that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg recently agreed to consider a number of cases brought before it by relatives of victims of the violence in Chechnya.

Royan is also sharply critical of the treatment of Chechen refugees outside the republic's border -- of whom 74,000 still remain in neighboring Ingushetia. He says such "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) have certain rights, enshrined by the United Nations and recognized by the Russian Federation, such as the right to documents pertaining to identity, access to health and education, and the right to receive humanitarian aid.

IDPs also have the right to refuse to return to their homes if they feel their security is not guaranteed.

Royan says that, in addition to the closure of two camps in Ingushetia last year, Russian authorities also closed another one three weeks ago, at least "on paper" -- meaning aid supplies to it will be cut. The only option for refugees is likely to be to return to Chechnya against their will. This, Royan says, is in direct contravention of Russia's international obligations.

"People who do not want to return right now should have the right according to their IDP status to stay in their host republic, [which is Ingushetia] in this case. If they cannot stay in a tent camp, they should be offered an alternative shelter of better quality than a canvas tent, if possible. And this is where we have difficulties with local authorities, where we try to develop a number of alternative shelter solutions. And they are somewhat reluctant to let us do so because they would prefer to fulfill [their own] agenda, which is to facilitate the return of people to Chechnya."

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Swiss back drive for peace in Chechnya

swissinfo

October 4, 2003

Human rights groups and non-governmental organisations from Russia andChechnya have met in Switzerland as part of efforts to bring peace tothe shattered republic.

The Swiss branch of the Society for Threatened Peoples hosted the firstmeeting of the coalition just ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.

The Chechen Civil Society Forum aims to promote peace in the republic,which has endured almost a decade of conflict.

“We have been working on the topic of human rights violations inChechnya for a long time,” Hanspeter Bigler, the agency’s director, toldswissinfo.

“We thought that with the war still going on in Chechnya we could dosomething to get local organisations together and see if they areinterested in creating a civil society forum.”

The first meeting in Bern brought together representatives from localhuman rights and NGOs in Chechnya and Russia, and laid the groundworkfor a second meeting in spring 2004, when more organisations will beinvited.

Situation in Chechnya

The infrastructure and the economy of the southern Russian republic arein ruins after years of war between separatist fighters and Russian forces.

A Russian-backed administration has been in charge since June 2000, butChechnya - and especially the capital Grozny - is still on a war footing.

Out of a population of around one million, almost 100,000 live inrefugee camps in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia.

It is a situation that requires constant monitoring, according to Libkan Bazaeva of the human rights organisation, Memorial.

A member of the new civil society forum, she believes it is a vitalelement in laying the foundations for peace in Chechnya, even if thepolitical and democratic institutions are not in place.

“Building civil society structures is preparation for peace, because oursociety cannot switch from war and fighting to peace that easily,” shetold swissinfo.

“Even though a war is going on and there’s no democracy in place, wehave to take the fate of our society in our own hands and try to buildup these structures,” she added.

Conflict resolution

Bazaeva also welcomes the move to bring Russian civil society and humanrights organisations into the forum, as she believes it is the best hope of ensuring a peaceful solution to the conflict in Chechnya

In May a referendum approved a new constitution that gave Chechnya moreautonomy, but also confirmed that the republic remained part of Russia.

Sunday’s presidential election is seen by many as almost a foregoneconclusion, with the current head of the Moscow-backed administration in Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, the likely winner.

International organisations have refused to send official observers tothe poll, but Natalija Nelidova, also a participant in the forum,insists it was the right decision.

“It’s good that no international observers are going because that wouldgive the elections some sort of legitimacy,” she told swissinfo.

“This is not a legitimate election and we shall be making sure that allmanipulations are well documented.”

Holding the first meeting in Bern also gave participants the chance tomeet Swiss politicians and outline the problems many Chechens and theirsupport organisations experience in everyday life.

Nelidova, who helps Chechen refugee children in Moscow and traumatisedwomen in Ingushetia, says her projects are in desperate need of extrafunding. She is hoping to drum up backing from foreign NGOs.

“I represent a Russian civil society organisation, but we don’t get anysort of financial or moral support from the Russian authorities,” she said”

“But still we think it’s important that we exist, because we cannotafford to wait for political support.”

swissinfo, Jonathan Summerton

http://www.kavkazcenter.com/russ/article.php?id=11557 (quick tr. by M.L.)

Slaughter in [the villages of] Makhkety and Tovzeni

On Saturday, in the afternoon, with the Kavkaz-center agency connected by phone Chechen commander Rizvan Chitigov and he reported that in the villages of Tovzeni and Makhkety the Russian invaders from the well known 45th regiment of paratroopers have shot many of their peaceful inhabitants, including women and children. Chitigov reported that in the morning on Friday, drunk paratroopers on their APC's broke into Tovzeni and opened indiscriminate fire at the inhabitated houses. Driving along the streets of the village, invaders were throwing into villagers' courthouse grenades, fired at their houses from the APC's. Then the same invaders made the raid on Makhkety. In this village are also killed and wounded.

At the daytime occupational sources reported on Friday, that allegedly in these villages some attacks were conducted on the places of stationing of puppet police from the side of mojahedeen. However, the Chechen  side refuted this information. Chitigov stated that the Chechen soldiers in the last four days did not conduct in these places any combat operations.

This morning occupational sources reported about the liquidation of  five mojahedeen in Makhkety. However, Chitigov refuted also this report, stating that this is the Russians' attempt to present the murder of peaceful inhabitants as the liquidation of Chechen soldiers.

It is reported that the situation in these villages sharply incandesced. Tens of woundedd children, women and old men still remain in these villages. Invaders do not allow to takem them to the Shali hospital. In the morning to Makhkety went the head of puppet administration Kadyrov. All roads in the river Bass gorge, where the villages are located are blocked by the Russian troops. There is no precise information about a number of killed and wounded of their peaceful residents. However, those locals who were able to leave the day before [and went] to Shali are telling that there's a lot of killed and wounded there.

Rizvan Chitigov also could not give a precise number of victims, although he stated that according to his information, in these villages, there are many wounded and killed.

2003-10-04 14:37:26

Refugees in Pankisi Boycott Elections in Chechnya    / Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2003-10-05 12:51:10  

Chechen refugees living in Georgia Pankisi Gorge refused to participate in the presidential elections of Chechnya, held on October 5.

"No polling stations are opened in Pankisi Gorge," Nukri Arveladze, head of the Akhmeta district, where Pankisi is located, told Civil Georgia.

Last week Russian delegation visited Pankisi gorge and tried in vain to convince up to 3,700 Chechen refugees to return to their homeland.

Six candidates are competing for the presidency in Chechnya, but the favorite is the Kremlin's top official in Chechnya Akhmad Kadyrov.   

The Russian authorities have been faced with widespread criticism for holding a vote during wartime.