On 4 February, some media asked me to comment on this initiative of the European Parliament members. Unfortunately, it has turned out that many listeners and readers did not understand what I said. Therefore I find it important to reproduce my comments accurately.

One should admit with obviousness that the plan of peaceful settlement suggested by Aslan Maskhadov and members of his government can not be realized. At least one reason for it is that Russia is the UN Security Council Permanent Member and can veto any decision of this UN structure that has a binding effect for Russia. Resolutions of the UN General Assembly can be passed by a majority but they have a nature of recommendation. It is also quite obvious that at least one government of the state recognized on the international level will hardly show its readiness to take actions aimed at putting this plan into practice. But regardless of the content of these proposals, the important thing is that advocates of the independence of Chechnya aspire to stop military actions and seek a way out of the conflict.

I think that the European parliamentarians’ initiative should be considered solely as a vivid demonstration of their distrust of Moscow’s policy in Chechnya. It is completely evident that the Russian leadership substitute pseudo-elections and a pseudo-referendum for the real political settlement of the armed conflict and mass gross violations of human rights in Chechnya continue. The developments in Chechnya have a very negative effect on the social and political development of Russia and pose a threat to the future of our country as a democratic state.

The deputies who signed this statement showed in a harsh way that the situation in Chechnya complicates relations between Russia and Europe now as before

It seems to me that all those who are not indifferent to Russia’s destiny can only welcome the appeal by European partners of our country to the issue of human rights observance in Chechnya, including that in the form chosen by the members of the European Parliament.

Memorial

FSB asks for licence to kill

TEXT: Fyodor Rumyantsev, Alia Samigullina 

It has been noted by many that with each new terrorist attack in Russia the FSB, the domestic security service, has called for more additional powers. Last Friday's attack in the Moscow metro is no exception. Addressing a gathering of newly-elected deputies on Monday, a senior FSB official pointed out that it was essential for his agency to be vested with more powers and called for the restoration of capital punishment.

Addressing the State Duma deputies at the Bor health resort near Moscow on Monday, Vyacheslav Ushakov, deputy head of the Federal Security Service, said he considers it essential to grant his agency wider powers in the fight against terrorism and to lift the moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Ushakov began his lengthy address to the deputies by summing up his agency's achievements in the past year. In particular, he said that in 2003 the FSB exposed more than 60 foreign spies and ended the activities of 37 of them and that no Russian security service officers were killed in Chechnya last year. Then Nikolai Patrushev's deputy started setting out the agency's future goals.

The picture Ushakov drew for the deputies was rather cheerless: the number of terrorist attacks in Russia ''might not go down this year''. In particular, he did not rule out the possibility of terrorist attacks ''on transport, at nuclear facilities and in the energy sector''. He said the intensification of terrorist activity, not only in Chechnya but also outside the war-torn republic, could be evidence that certain countries have an interest in ''turning the republic into a centre of world terrorism''.

The senior security official then suggested that the State Duma should pass laws vesting the FSB with additional powers ''which would make it possible to work towards preventing and possibly uncovering terrorist organisations in the early stages of their activity''.

Ushakov would not elaborate on what exactly those laws should be, but recalled that a national-patriotic act was passed in the US following the attacks on 11 September 2001, which gave the special services ''unprecedented powers in the fight against terrorism''. ''Clearly the time has come for us to think about this as well,'' the official concluded.

Also, Ushakov said that he and his colleagues advocate the idea of lifting the moratorium on the use of the death penalty, which is to be imposed, in particular, for terrorism. That statement could have been disregarded out of hand if it wasn't for three aspects.

Firstly, Ushakov voiced his proposal during a meeting with the newly- elected deputies of the State Duma, to whom the heads of various agencies sought to explain what laws the government and the Kremlin expect them to pass during the next four years. His address to the lawmakers was entered into the agenda of the session at Bor as a 'lecture'. Among the other government officials who 'lectured' the deputies at the Bor health resort were Minister for Economic Development and Trade German Gref, Minister for Social Policy Galina Karilov, and head of the Audit Chamber Sergei Stepashin.

Secondly, Ushakov called for a widening of the FSB's powers only three days after the terrorist attack on Moscow's metro. Russian security officials have taken advantage of such tragic events in the past to demand an increase in their punitive powers.

For instance, several days after Chechen rebels raided the Nord-Ost musical theatre in Dubrovka, amendments to the law on combating terrorism were submitted to the lower house. The amendments, subsequently adopted by the lawmakers, considerably broadened the powers of security forces in what concerned the use of weapons and special devices during the detention of terrorist suspects. Another draft, submitted to the Duma at the time, stipulated an extension to pre-trial detention for terrorist suspects.

Last summer FSB director Nikolai Patrushev called for his agency to be given the power to check privatisation deals. Though the statement was made in the wake of suicide bombings at an open-air rock concert in Moscow, many linked it to the beginning of the so-called attack on YUKOS.

Finally, rumour has it that the State Duma has already begun work on a draft bill On National Security in the Russian Federation, which will outline the new functions of the force-wielding agencies in the fight against terrorism.

News of that draft emerged in autumn 2002, following the Dubrovka hostage drama. As Gazeta.Ru wrote then, the Duma of the previous convocation failed to work out their recommendations on the draft and asked the presidential administration and the power-wielders themselves to mull the document.

Gazeta.Ru sources in the Kremlin claimed that the draft could be replaced by amending two other laws – On the FSB and On the Prosecutor's Office. Since then nothing has been heard of those initiatives. And now the FSB deputy head has addressed the MPs of the new, pro-presidential Duma with a lecture bearing the same title as the long-forgotten draft – On the national security doctrine of the Russian Federation. Reference to the US patriotic act is no coincidence either, because out of that was born a new super-agency, the Ministry for National Security.

Gazeta.Ru asked State Duma deputies to comment on the prospects of passing amendments giving the FSB more powers. United Russia's Alexander Gurov of the Duma security committee, agreed that the ''legal basis for combating terrorism needs to be extended'', but, most likely, by the way of amending the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, and not by passing a new law. With regards to lifting the moratorium on the use of the death penalty, deputy Gurov fully agrees with Ushakov. Moscow, he says, should ''intimidate'' the masterminds of terrorist attacks.

Deputy Viktor Alksnis, a member of the Motherland bloc, added that the new Duma would, ''without hesitation'', lift the moratorium as soon as ''law enforcers introduce such a motion''. At the same time Alksnis is opposed to any widening of the powers of special services in any form, though, he does not rule out that the draft bill to the effect may be submitted to the house shortly. ''I am categorically against such a widening [of powers], because, unfortunately, over the past years our special services have demonstrated their impotence. They have more than enough powers as it is.''

As to Ushakov's reference to the US experience, Alksnis considers it absolutely inappropriate: ''Appealing to the US experience is absolutely meaningless and useless. When Russia has a normal parliament capable of controlling the activities of the special services, exercising its controlling functions, then one can try to set up something. But in circumstances when there is no control over special services at the state level, attempts to give them powers… I do not know where we will end up then…'' 10 Feb, 2004 Gazeta ru 15:53

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004. Page 2 The Moscow Times

Metro Blast Toll May Reach 50, Mayor Says

By Anatoly Medetsky Staff Writer Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Tuesday that the death toll in the metro bomb blast could reach 50, while President Vladimir Putin urged police and security officials to focus more on preventing terrorism.

The official death toll in Friday's explosion on a metro train near the Avtozavodskaya station rose to 40 after a passenger died Tuesday in the hospital.

Investigators initially put the toll at 39, with 38 victims identified as of Tuesday, and have said the number of dead was unlikely to change by more than a few. But reports have suggested the number is probably closer to 50 to 120.

Luzhkov said Tuesday that the toll could rise after body fragments are identified. "After the procedure of identification is competed, the number of victims of could be in the region of 50," he was quoted by Interfax as saying.

Putin, who has blamed the explosion on Chechen "terrorists," told a gathering of senior law enforcement officials that terrorist networks must be destroyed.

"The FSB, Interior Ministry and other agencies must continue the systematic job of liquidating terrorist networks," Putin said. "Special attention should be paid to the efficiency of operatives' work and the development of tactics to ease the threat of terrorist acts."

Meanwhile, FSB and Foreign Ministry officials had no comment about an announcement Monday by Georgian Security Minister Valery Khaburdzania that a man showed up at the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi a day before the blast and warned that a "huge" terrorist attack would occur in Moscow on Friday.

The embassy did not respond to repeated requests for comment Tuesday.

Khaburdzania said Georgia's separatist region of Abkhazia had recruited the man -- Nazir Aidobolov, a Russian citizen -- and told him to tell the embassy that the bombing had been planned by Chechen rebels holed up in Georgia's volatile Pankisi Gorge.

Abkhazia angrily denied the allegation. Abkhazia's security service was trying to collect information about the man Tuesday, the service's head, Givi Agrba, said by telephone from Sukhumi.

In Moscow, investigators have found on the body of one of those killed in the blast, a battery and a switch that were probably used to trigger the bomb, Kommersant reported Tuesday.

Investigators also established that the bomb contained 2.5 kilograms of TNT, down from the initial estimate of 5 kilograms, the newspaper said.

Doubt was cast again on whether the bomb contained nuts and bolts -- which are used to increase the force of the explosion. The FSB denied reports Monday that the bomb was packed with the homemade shrapnel, while Kommersant said nuts and bolts found in bodies might have come from the metro car's casing.

Investigators have interviewed a man riding in the car that exploded, but Vladimir Molotkov, 49, could not recall any of his fellow passengers and whether one of them might have been a suicide bomber, Kommersant said.

Another 13 of those killed in the blast were buried Tuesday, and more funerals were scheduled for Wednesday.

NTV reported Tuesday that a few hours before the bombing six armed men wearing masks attacked a Moscow engineering institute that has city infrastructure maps, including those of metro tunnels, locked up in its safes. But it appeared to be a regular burglary because the men only took money, NTV said.

eng.kavkaz.memo.ru 10/2/2004

Chechen refuges block railway in Austria

On 8 February, refugees from Chechnya blocked a railway in the Austrian town of Gmuend for several hours as a sign of protest against possible deportation. According to the police, some 50 action participants burst through into Austria from neighboring Czechia. The action was stopped after talks with the police. Those who applied for asylum in Austria were allowed to temporarily stay in the country. Some of the refugees had already made similar applications in Czechia and Poland.

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

90 percent of dwelling houses in Chechnya are ruined

MOSCOW, February 10, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - The Chechen State Council works out for the future Chechen parliament some 20 law drafts necessary for the restoration of Chechnya. This was disclosed on Tuesday in Moscow by Council Chairman Khusein Isayev, who heads the Chechen delegation to Moscow.

The Parliamentary elections in Chechnya are scheduled for this year's fall.

According to Isayev, the mentioned above law drafts are primarily aimed at the restoration of the ruined as a result of war living houses, social sector and settlement of ethnic and religious conflicts.

The Head of the Chechen Council noted that 90 percent of the private living sector was destroyed in the course of the war. Approximately 60 percent of the ruined buildings are situated in Grozny. More than 39,000 people are waiting to receive financial compensations for their destroyed houses. Russian and Chechen authorities started giving away the compensations in the fall of the last year. Over 1,500 people received the compensations so far.

http://www.vesti.ru/news.html?id=49130 (tr by M.L.)

Police officer shot down his subordinate 

Officer of the police special forces of the republic of the Mary-El shot down his subordinate. As reported to Interfax a source in the municipal administration of Gudermes, the incident, which ended in shooting, occurred on Monday at the checkpoint near the village of the Ishkhoy-Yurt of the Gudermes district.

According to preliminary data, an argument flared up between the policemen, who have been fulling their mission in Chechnya. As a result of it,  the officer shot at the police sSenior sergeant , who passed away during his transportation to the hospital.

The investigation is going on.

February 10th 2004 · Prague Watchdog

Number of cancer patients increasing in Chechnya

Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus - The number of people with lifethreatening tumors and cancer is on the rise in the Chechen Republic,announced Ismail Adizov, chief physician of the Central OncologyOutpatient Clinic.

According to his records, more than 1,500 cancer patients were admittedto the clinic during 2003. The most widespread types of this diseaseare: gastrointestinal, lung, skin and breast. “More than a quarter ofthe cases are very serious and require constant dosage of painkillers,”said Adizov.

He pointed out that the actual number of cases is probably even higheras accurate statistics are hard to come by since many people travel outof the country to get treatment.

Moreover, the average age of patients has dropped, which he finds mostdisturbing. “At one time it was people aged 55 and older who came to usfor treatment, but nowadays they are as young as 40; and in the case ofwomen, even younger,” he added.

He explained that this is due to the heavy emotional and psychologicalburden imposed on the population during the last two armed conflicts. Inaddition, he contended that the development of cancerous cells in one'sbody is also caused by pollution and immediate contact with petroleumproducts.

Adizov regreted that his clinic cannot provide comprehensive treatmentfor the patients. “For one thing, the hospital is not yet completelyremodeled; with the funds we received only initial repairs could be made.”

Another reason preventing a thorough diagnosis is the lack of basicmedical equipment. “The clinic is in dire need of X-ray and mammographymachines that would enable us to discover breast cancer at an earlystage. At present there is no radiotherapy facility anywhere in therepublic, which is necessary for about 70% of all cancer patients,” heexplained.

“We would like to be able to diagnose our patients properly, but untilwe get some good diagnostic equipment that won’t be possible,” concludedAdizov.

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004. Page 1 The Moscow Times

Rybkin Reappears with No Answers

By Caroline McGregor Staff Writer Presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin, whose mysterious disappearance five days earlier made international headlines, surfaced Tuesday in Kiev and flew back to Moscow.

He offered no clear explanation for his absence.

Observers said his puzzling behavior might cost him his political career and alienate those close to him.

Upon arriving in Moscow on Tuesday night, Rybkin said he was considering pulling out of the presidential race.

"I'm very upset that my loved ones took [the absence] in such a way. It's possible that I will drop my candidacy," he told reporters at Sheremetyevo Airport.

He dropped vague hints indicating that his absence was against his will, The Associated Press reported.

Earlier Tuesday, Rybkin told Ekho Moskvy radio from Kiev that he had not been following the news for the past five days and was "shocked" when he picked up a newspaper Tuesday and learned that his absence had created a scare.

"I have the right to two to three days of private life," he told Interfax from the Ukrainian capital.

Rybkin's wife and campaign staff had said they had not heard from him since he was dropped off by his bodyguards at his Moscow apartment Thursday night. Police started looking for him Sunday.

Rybkin told Ekho Moskvy that after coming home Thursday night, he put fruit and money on the table for his wife, who was caring for a grandson, changed his jacket, turned off his cellphone and hopped on a train.

In Kiev, he added, the weather is good this time of year and he was happy for the chance to stroll along city streets as an escape from the stress of his campaign.

FSB spokesman Vadim Shibayev said the last official records of Rybkin crossing the border are on Feb. 3, when he flew to London to meet his political patron Boris Berezovsky, and on Feb. 4, when he flew back, Interfax reported. Rybkin and Berezovsky are both harsh critics of President Vladimir Putin.

Rybkin's sudden reappearance left as many unanswered questions as his sudden disappearance had.

While he was missing, his wife, Albina, repeatedly said she feared he had been kidnapped, even killed, in an attempt to remove him from the presidential race. Skeptics said his disappearance had been staged as a political gimmick to grab headlines and attention.

He vanished as he was waiting for word from the Central Elections Commission on whether it would register his bid to run for president. The commission registered it Friday, and his campaign manager, Ksenia Ponomaryova, picked up the papers in his absence.

Interfax cited a source in the Ukrainian parliament as saying that Rybkin had been meeting with opponents of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. But three opposition leaders denied this.

Some reports suggested that Rybkin planned his own disappearance not as a vote-grabbing trick but as a way to end a political career he had grown tired of. Berezovsky, not Rybkin, has been seen as the driving force behind his presidential candidacy.

Rybkin is a former State Duma speaker and Security Council secretary.

Berezovsky said Tuesday that he could not yet say whether the disappearance was "adventurism or something else." But he doubted there was anything fishy; Rybkin, he told Ekho Moskvy, is "very responsible."

"I'm happy that he's alive and well, but let everything that happened remain on his conscience," fellow presidential contender Irina Khakamada said, Interfax reported.

Lilia Shevtsova, a political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center, said the Rybkin saga is simply a byproduct of an election that lacks competition, substance and an agenda.

"When the result is predetermined, an election is doomed to turn into a caricature," she said. "It has nothing to do with Rybkin, he's just a participant in the farce."

Igor Klyamkin, the head of the Liberal Mission Foundation, said even voters who were not going to vote for Rybkin will feel like they are being jerked around.

"It looked like Belarus, where political opponents disappear. Now all you hear is that he made this up to get more attention. It's not attractive, it's an outrage," he said.

"If this was a PR action, it was fantastically stupid."

Whatever the case, his wife, for one, was less than pleased by her husband's behavior.

"Poor Russia, if this type of person tries to run the country," she told an Interfax reporter.

"You mean your husband?" the reporter asked.

"Yes," she said.

Rybkin's campaign manager, who had been speaking of his disappearance with alarm since Thursday, said she had serious doubts about whether she could continue to work for "such a candidate."

Moscow police were waiting for Rybkin at the airport. Rybkin needed to sign an official statement in order for the search case to be closed, police spokesman Kirill Mazurin said.