RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 7, No.
118, Part I, 24 June 2003
British Prime Minister sets the mood for Putin's visit....
Tony Blair gave an interview to Interfax on 23 June, the eve of President Vladimir
Putin's arrival in Great Britain for a four-day state visit. The interview was
republished in "Kommersant-Daily" on 24 June. In it, Blair said he is certain
the issue of Iraq will come up during the visit and that he and Putin have already
made "real progress" overcoming previous disagreements on the issue. Blair added
that he hopes Russian companies will play an "active role" in Iraq's reconstruction.
On Chechnya, Blair said Great Britain hopes the constitutional referendum held
there in March will "become the start of a long political process that will draw
in everyone who rejects force and ensure Chechnya's peaceful future and the protection
of the human rights of the whole population." In other matters, Blair said Great
Britain "unwaveringly" supports efforts to bring Russia and the European Union
closer together, but that the introduction of a visa-free travel regime between
Russia and the EU is "a more distant prospect." Blair told Interfax that Great
Britain and Russia are "closely cooperating" in the areas of security, combating
terrorism, and energy, among others, "Kommersant-Daily" reported. JB
...WHILE HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS PLAN A COLDER WELCOME.
Upon his arrival at London's Heathrow Airport, President Putin and his wife, Lyudmila,
will be greeted by the Prince of Wales on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II and will
then receive a ceremonial welcome from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the
London-based "The Independent" reported on 24 June. But not everyone is planning
a warm welcome. A film festival called "The Truth About Chechnya" opened in London
on 23 June. It features documentaries such as "Terror in Moscow," about last October's
hostage drama at a Moscow theater, and "The Assassination of Russia," the film
bankrolled by the self-exiled tycoon Boris Berezovskii
that claims the Federal Security Service (FSB) was behind the 1999 apartment-building
bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk. Anna Neistat, who heads Human Rights Watch's
Moscow office, told Ekho Moskvy on 23 June that Amnesty International, the London-based
human rights group, is sending Putin and Blair free tickets to the film festival.
Kate Allen, Amnesty International's U.K. director, told "The Independent," "The
continuing conflict in the Chechen republic, now in its fourth year, has seen
Russian security forces committing serious human rights violations and breaching
international humanitarian law with almost total impunity." JB
Press-briefing by Tony Blair's Spokesman, Chechnya part
PRESS BRIEFING: 11AM TUESDAY 24 JUNE 2003
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) briefed journalists on the itinerary
for President Putin's State visit to the UK. The President would be arriving this
afternoon and the Prime Minister would take part in the ceremonial welcome on
Horseguards. He would also be attending the State Banquet this evening at Buckingham
Palace. He was due to meet the President for talks and lunch in Downing Street
on Thursday. This would be followed by a joint press conference at the Durbar
Court in the FCO. Both the Prime Minister and President Putin would also take
part in a DTI conference on energy at Lancaster House on Thursday morning.
(snip)
Asked the Government's position on the issue of Chechnya, the PMOS said that it
remained as set out by the Prime Minister in the House last week when he had said
that both he and the Foreign Secretary would raise the issue, but would "...do
so in a way that recognises the point that, as a result of terrorism emanating
from extremists based in Chechnya, the Russian people have also suffered a very
great deal". As the Prime Minister had underlined, it was clearly important to
raise the issue of human rights - and indeed the issue was raised every time he
met President Putin. However, it was also important for us to support Russia in
its action against terrorism. As he had said last week, "It's fair to say that
as a result of President Putin's political initiative, there is now a chance for
a proper political solution in Chechnya". Asked if the Prime Minister believed
that Russia's actions in relation to Chechnya had been proportionate, the PMOS
said that as the Prime Minister himself had pointed out, there were clearly difficult
issues which needed to be addressed. No one was denying the fact that there was
a terrorist threat to Russia which emanated from Chechnya - and it went without
saying that Russian security was important. However, as we had underlined throughout,
human rights issues were also paramount. Our dialogue with the Russians and the
President was based on the need to recognise both those factors.
Comment: Western Prime Ministers continue with their lies and do not hesitate
to back statet terrorists in the name of the so called "global war against terrorism".
Good luck Prime Minster Blair!