EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/938

(2004/C 84 E/1036)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1063/04

by Marie-Françoise Duthu (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 March 2004)

Subject: Russo-Chechen conflict — mediation by the European Union between the governments of Vladimir Putin and Asian Maskhadov

Since 1994, Chechnya has been ravaged by two wars of exceptional violence. According to the most recent estimates, one fifth of the civilian population has been killed, a capital city of 400 000 inhabitants has been razed to the ground, the infrastructure has been completely destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of refugees are living in inhumane conditions in ‘temporary’ camps.

All the humanitarian and human rights NGOs working on the ground have made the same observations: a marked deterioration in the situation of civilians and an increased number of disappearances and deadly ‘cleansings’ of villages by Russian troops.

On 23 March 2003, in the midst of the war and while Russian tanks were still in the streets of Grozny, Moscow enforced the holding of a ‘referendum’ on a ‘new constitution’. The results of the referendum, for which the turnout was 80 % and in which 96 % of the electorate voted for the constitution, were reminiscent of the Soviet era and disputed by all independent observers.

On 5 October 2003, Moscow's stooge, Akhmad Kadyrov, became the ‘official’ President of the Republic of Chechnya in a sham election, the thinly disguised aim of which was the political isolation of Asian Maskhadov's government. The election of that government, the most recent legally elected government in Chechnya, was recognised in 1997 by the OSCE, and it remains the only legitimate government to date.

Since the beginning of the second war in October 1999, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have adopted numerous resolutions calling for a political solution to the conflict in Chechnya, but they have not, however, produced the desired effect.

I believe that Europe could do more than it is doing at present to promote a negotiated political solution to the current conflict.

It is clear that a serious attempt to find a political solution to the war in Chechnya will, sooner or later, ultimately bring to the negotiating table the two parties to the conflict, the representatives of Vladimir Putin and those of Asian Maskhadov.

What specific action does the Commission plan to take in the next few weeks and months with a view to promoting a negotiated political solution of that nature? In particular, does the Commission intend to contribute to the establishment of a dialogue between the two sides in the conflict, the government of Vladimir Putin and that of Asian Maskhadov? What incentives does it think that it will be able to propose in order to encourage them to take part in this dialogue?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 2004)

The Commission remains deeply concerned at the current situation in the North Caucasus. There are continued reports of human rights abuses in Chechnya and reprisals against civilians by Russian armed forces and their Chechen allies, as well as rebels.

The implementation of shared values in the fields of democracy and human rights underpin the EU-Russia Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation and are central elements in the EU-Russia partnership. This has been underlined in the Commission Communication on relations with Russia of 9 February 2004 (1), as well as in the Council Conclusions of 23 February 2004. The Commission believes that it is essential to hold an open and frank dialogue with Russia on these issues.

The Commission promotes respect for human rights and democracy in Russia through a number of projects that are financed under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. These activities are implemented in cooperation with civil society and international organisations. The Tacis programme is also active in this domain. In North Caucasus, there is a specific joint programme between the Commission and the Council of Europe to promote pluralist democracy and the rule of law. The Commission will also continue to press Russia to adequately investigate all allegations of human rights abuses in a prompt, independent and impartial manner. Those responsible should be prosecuted. Russia should also permit publication of the Council of Europe report on torture in Chechnya and allow the United Nations (UN) rapporteurs on torture and on summary executions to report on the situation.

The Commission will continue to raise the issue of respect for human rights in appropriate international fora and within the framework of the EU's political dialogue with Russia, such as in the meeting of the EU-Russia Ministerial Troika in Dublin on 14 April 2004 and the EU-Russia Summit in Moscow in May 2004.

(1) COM(2004) 106 final.