Madam President, please allow me, at the start of today's debate, to express my sympathy for the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack on Grozny. These crimes, which show utter contempt for human life, can never be justified and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Nonetheless, I appeal to those affected and the Russian Government not to retaliate with similar means but to seek a peaceful solution. This attack on the civil administration clearly shows that terrorists are not interested in ending the conflict. On the contrary, their aim is the permanent destabilisation of the region. I welcome the plan to hold a referendum in Chechnya in March. This is a hopeful sign towards democracy and self–determination. Wanting to encourage the refugees in Ingushetia to return home to Chechnya is the right approach, but it is fundamentally wrong to subject them to pressure. First, the conditions for their return must be put in place. People must feel safe, and they need housing, electricity and food. The schools must be open and healthcare must be secure. The European Union is willing to get involved here and provide humanitarian aid. The Russian Government's decision not to extend the OSCE's mandate is therefore even more incomprehensible. What possible political objection can there be to monitoring respect for human rights, providing aid for refugees, and supporting conflict transformation? None, in my view, unless it is seen as intervention in a country's internal affairs rather than as an offer of help in a very difficult situation. Or perhaps the Russian Government thinks that accepting help would be a sign of weakness, which it cannot afford for political reasons. In my view, this would be a complete misapprehension, but it can be rectified. As a member of the European Parliament's ad hoc delegation on Chechnya, I am disappointed about the cancellation of our delegation visit, which had been confirmed with the Duma. I am disappointed not only because we naturally wanted to gain our own impression of the local situation – and viewed this as a contribution towards further mutual understanding – but also because a basic political question arises here which has been answered in the negative. We were informed that the reason for the postponement is the fact that Ahmed Zakayev had been released from detention in a European country and Parliament had adopted a resolution on this issue. I accept that the Duma has a different political viewpoint from our own. However, I have a fundamental question. How can one hope to achieve a peaceful resolution to highly complicated issues in Chechnya through a process of negotiation with real opponents if one is incapable of accepting that a friendly institution may have a different political opinion? Baroness Ludford, we must refrain, quite categorically, from comparing National Socialism and the persecution of the Jews by the National Socialists in Germany with any other situation. Such comparisons trivialise this monstrous, state–sanctioned violation of human rights, which was unique in history. Please do not make such comparisons again. IN THE CHAIR: MR FRIEDRICHVice-President

Political group: GUE-NGL