| Kavkaz Center Mr. Andreas Gross should resign Mr. PETER SCHIEDER PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE Mr. JOSEP BORRELL FONTELLES PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Mr. DIMITRI RUPEL PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE APPEAL Mr. ANDREAS GROSS IS IMITATING A “ROUND TABLE” AND HELPING RUSSIA TO WASH THE BLOOD The state of human rights is constantly deteriorating throughout Russia. Arrests and beating of citizens, raping of women in Bashkiria since 1 January, ban on Latin script and arrests in Tatarstan, closing of 10 mosques in Kabardino-Balkaria, ban on distribution of Koran translated into Russian by specialist in Arabic philology Kratchkovsky in Dagestan, searches carried out brutally with machine guns for 10 days, arrest of 60 people and closing of a human rights information centre in Ingushetia – this is a background of violence and arbitrariness against which Russia is attempting to propose good faith negotiations, a “round table” on Chechnya’s problem. Today’s situation in Chechnya is dreadful: 1. Russia will demand disarmament of the Chechen resistance forces. 2. Local authorities appointed by Russia will remain with 6,000 armed local militants, who actually perform a function of terrorising local people. 3. Collaborationist authorities, headed by a Chechen holding an award of a Hero of the Russian Federation, kill, plunder, rape and kidnap people. These authorities have special prisons. 4. Units of the Russian regular army with over 80,000 military men are also engaged in killing and kidnapping of local people, trying to push them out of the country. How can one believe in peaceful negotiations under such circumstances? Mr. Andreas Gross is concealing the content of preparations for the “round table” from the public, avoids answering to concerns raised, and substantially is not open and sincere, apparently being on Russia’s side. Imitational preparations for the negotiations cannot be called parity and common-sense based preparations as they serve the purpose of further annihilation of the Chechen nation under cover of EC, not settlement of the problem. Today we cannot indicate any step by Russia that could be called a peaceful step towards abandoning violence and killings. Mr. A. Gross is ready to carry out just a procedure of signing a statement of unconditional surrender by the Chechen resistance forces, which is not line with the conditions of fair negotiations. Peaceful negotiations in Chechnya are only possible and meaningful with the following good faith algorithm: 1. Armistice. The fighting sides declare an armistice in good faith, thus showing their wish to achieve a compromise and reconciliation. 2. Venue of negotiations. A neutral location – Tbilisi, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna. In Moscow any Chechen can be arrested and accused with terrorism or holding of arms or drugs. We remember fair negotiations in Geneva and Paris. 3. Negotiators. The fighting sides and representatives of all groups of the Chechen society take part in the negotiations. According to the present draft, Russia selects subjects of negotiations, subsequently, the negotiations would be conducted between Russia on the one side and persons appointed by and subordinate and obedient to Russia on the other side. In other words, Russia will negotiate with itself. In theory, true negotiations are possible with only the fighting sides participating in them. 4. Negotiations format. All issues proposed by the negotiators should be considered without restrictions. The current subject unilaterally forced upon the negotiations and dictated by Russia means moral justification and legalization of the causes and consequences of the war waged by Russia. Negotiations are meaningful when participating parties are politically and morally prepared to seek compromises and not just accept conditions dictated to them. Otherwise, if Putin’s dictate is obeyed, you would assume, just like until now, responsibility for the killings, the scope of which is largest in Europe since World War II, and demonstrate your failure to comply with the norms of the international law and to discharge your duties. Mr. Andreas Gross should resign. Yours sincerely Algirdas Endriukaitis Secretary General INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF PARLIAMENTARIANS ON THE PROBLEM OF CHECHNIA A.Vivulskio g. 3-6, Vilnius, Lithuania, LT-03122, E-mail: misrig@lrs.lt 2005-02-04 |