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Statement of the State Duma on the Position of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the Situation in the Chechen Republic, Moscow, 12 April 2000


Statement of the State Duma on Chechnya

The antiterrorist operation in the Chechen Republic is being conducted neither against the Chechen people nor against Muslims, but is aimed at combatting armed rebels, terrorists and foreign mercenaries who have trampled down human rights and freedoms. The Joint Armed Forces Group in the North Caucasus acts in the name of restorating democracy and human rights in the Chechen Republic and safeguarding the territorial integrity and constitutional order of the Russian Federation. 

The State Duma stands for promoting efforts aimed at restoring peaceful life in the area where the antiterrorist operation is being undertaken as well as at rendering assistance to those who have suffered. The Commission of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the Normalisation of Political, Social and Economic Situation and Protection of Human Rights in the Chechen Republic is to play a significant role in achieving this aim. 

Undoubtedly, a lasting settlement of the situation in the Chechen Republic is possible only through political means. However, a cease-fire and launching of negotiations depend directly on the militants' readiness to lay down arms and abandon terrorist activities. Perplexing is the PACE's reluctance to recognize that negotiations are possible only with those Chechen leaders who have renounced terrorism and violence.