Russian military continue
to punish and terrorize civilian population in Chechnya.
The Chechen Times
Interview with Glen Howard, ACPC
Q: Mr. Howard, you are the executive director of the public committee "For Peace
in Chechnya". Prominent politicians Zbigniew Brzezinski and Alexander Haig are
co-chairmen of the committee. We shall say that the leaders of the committee are
representatives of the political Olympus and not only within the USA. Your common
interest in the issue means Chechnya is not a local inner problem of Russia for
you. Therefore I shall ask: To what extent the issue of Chechnya is urgent today
in top echelons of world politics?
A: The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya was formed in 1999 and consists
of a 100 prominent Americans concerned over the war in Chechnya. We publish a
weekly newsletter, the Chechnya Weekly, in cooperation with the Jamestown Foundation.
The editor is Larry Uzzell. Dr. Brzezinski, General Alexander Haig, and former
Congressman Stephen Solarz are our co-chairs. The Chairman emeritus of ACPC is
Amb. Max Kampelman, who recently retired as one of the co-chairs. Our three chairmen
are prominent Americans who have enormous respect in Washington DC and on
the world geopolitical scene.
I agree that Chechnya is a major issue in some, but not all corners of world developments.
For the United States, Chechnya occupies an important position from two perspectives.
The global war on terrorism and the humanitarian tragedy in Chechnya caused by
continuing human rights abuse. This has created a dilemma for the United States
because Russia was a major ally in the global war on terrorism and as you know,
there are "some elements of international terrorism in Chechnya." This has prompted
the US to deploy troops in Georgia to assist the Georgian army in improving its
ability to police important infiltration routes for Al-Qaeda into Chechnya via
the Pankisi gorge in northern Georgia. The US has effectively "projected"
stability into this volatile area by aiding Georgia in asserting greater control
over its remote border areas. However, American cannot end the war in Chechnya
which is the catalyst for this deployment. The American deployment in Georgia
also reflects the high level of concern that the United States has in regard to
Georgia's security and the threat posed by its northern neighbor.
Q: To stop the war in Chechnya does not mean only to stop shelling, bombardments,
"cleaning up" operations. For all parties concerned it is very important that
people guilty of mass executions, ethnic cleansing, unleashing the war are finally
brought to account. Do you believe the idea of establishing an International Tribunal
for Chechnya promising?
A: No one would have thought a year ago that the suggestion of a war crimes tribunal
would go very far. However, the latest developments are a surprise to many persons,
including myself. I believe this is attributed to the undeniable fact that human
rights abuse continues in Chechnya and that these acts are being perpetrated on
a basis that is strongly similar to what occurred in Bosnia and Kosovo during
the Balkan wars of the 1990s. It remains to be seen how far the tribunal
will go but I think that the developments so far are extremely encouraging and
reflect the growing level of concern in European capitals that the people who
are waging this war should be held accountable for their actions. And on this
account I am referring to Russian and Chechen fighters who have committed these
acts. I would have to say that the next time a Russian General, such as Shamanov,
appears on Russian television with a pile of dead corpses in the background, he
may have second thoughts. The creation of a tribunal and the video archive showing
Shamanov with these corpses should be credible enough evidence to place him at
the top of the tribunal's most wanted list.
A: Since the beginning of the Chechen conflict numerous plans for its resolution
have been proposed. We think all of such plans were perfunctory, cut off from
realities and simply ignored international experience in the field. In this respect
the concept suggested by Chechen Foreign Minister Ilyas Akhmadov is the first
serious plan able to change the situation. What do you think is necessary to do
to have it realized in practice?
A: I agree. There has certainly been an abundance of plans on ways to end the
war in Chechnya, ranging from the Akhmadov plan to the Khasbulatov plan, to even
suggestions from Mr. Primakov. Each of these plans has outlined certain points
and ideas that reflect a sincere desire to find a way out of this bloody war that
has cost Russia 15,000 men, which is more casualties than ten years of war in
Afghanistan, and killed more than 200,000 Chechens. With each peace plan proposed
by the various sides, the details on how to disengage from this conflict become
more precise and defined. I believe that from the Chechen side alone there has
been over 22 times that President Maskahdov has called for peace talks on ending
the war, and each time his proposals have been rejected by the Kremlin. The key
issue regarding peace plans is it remains a subtle form of pressure that informs
the world community, including those sleeping in the Kremlin, that the world community
remains concerned about the war and that people are not going to let this war
continue unnoticed.
Last year the ACPC convened a discussion in Liechtenstein that merged components
of the Khasbulatov plan with that of the ACPC plan that created a starting point
for peace talks that involved agreement from representatives of the Russian parliament
and representatives of the Chechen resistance aligned with President Maskhadov.
This plan was ratified by the World Chechen Congress in Copenhagen Denmark on
October 23, 2002. Until recently, this plan was the last major plan in circulation
and the release of the Akhmadov plan is a fresh incentive to get the peace process
underway again. I agree that the concepts elaborated by Chechen Foreign Minister
Akhmadov are more defined than previous plans and is perhaps the most detailed
proposal I have seen so far. I believe the total document, which is 70+ pages,
has a number of useful ideas identifying the various elements that factor into
a future peace settlement. For example, ideas on demilitarizing Chechnya and disarming
armed groups are more defined in this plan than others. Akhmadov has widely traveled
and the input for this thoughts on this plan reflect the extensive conversations
he has conducted with a variety of notable persons involved in diplomatic efforts
to end the war in Chechnya, both in the first war, and in the current war, as
well as important diplomats who played a role in ending the Balkan wars, such
as Bernard Kuchner, the former French foreign minister who headed the mission
in Kosovo.
Q: Your committee is known for concrete steps seeking for peace for Chechnya.
Who of today's Russian politicians, in your opinion, enjoy enough authority to
influence the beginning of talks? Is it possible that Putin will make the idea
of peace talks with Chechnya part of his program at the next presidential campaign?
A: I think that it remains a mystery to many persons who might influence Putin.
Certainly there are many former politicians in Russia who have bravely stepped
forward and called for an end to the war. One of the most rewarding aspects of
my job as Executive Director is to have met these persons and continue to work
with them on ways to end the war. These people realize that Russia cannot be a
democracy until the war is resolved in Chechnya. Unfortunately, the current leadership
in Russia has failed to heed their advice. I won't mention any names on the people
I am in contact with but it is no secret that Mr. Yavlinsky, Mr. Nemtsov have
repeatedly deifed the Kremlin and spoken the truth about the war. I believe that
the one person who might have the most important impact but for some strange reason
has failed to "publicly' condemn the war is Mikhail Gorbachev. I believe that
he could be the one person who has enough credibility in Russia to speak openly
about this war but has remained silent. He bravely ended the Russian war in Afghanistan
and we need such a person in Russia today to step forward and declare his
willingness to halt this senseless war.
I might add that it would not hurt if someone in the current US administration
would speak openly about the war in Chechnya that it might actually help Putin
come out and express his real feelings on this war. Instead the United States,
until the war in Iraq, had applauded Russian actions by referring to Moscow's
struggle with international terrorism which has done more harm than good
and given the Russian military a green light to punish and terrorize the civilian
population in Chechnya. I would be ashamed if I was one of Putin's Generals who
have been unable to end this war in four years while the American army defeats
the Iraqi army in three weeks waging one of the most successful military
campaigns since Alexander the Great conquered Mesopotamia in the fourth century.
How can Kvashnin face Putin in light of the American victory in Iraq and continue
to promise him victory in Chechnya as the war enters its fourth year? This is
absurd and I am sure General Kutuzov is turning over in his grave at the embarrassment
caused by the Genshtab's failure in Chechnya.