Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-27-Speech-3-207"
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"en.19991027.7.3-207"2
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"Mr President, when Russian colonial troops conquered Chechnya in the last century, Finland had already been under Russian control for a long time. It was with great bravery that the Finnish people found their way to freedom, and I should therefore have expected the Finnish Presidency of the Council to show more understanding for the sufferings of the oppressed Chechen people. I must say quite clearly that the European Union’s strategy towards Russia has failed. Not only because the Russian State and economy are in a deeper crisis than they were just a few years ago; and not only because the present Russian leadership is already conducting its second brutal colonial war against Chechnya, which is about oil interests and which we are paying for. It is also the case that at present a particularly brutal form of election campaign is being developed. We are contributing to this bloody election campaign with summit meetings and with money which is being frittered away in this war. Without western money, Russia would in fact be unable to finance this war by no later than the end of the month. It is therefore we who are financing this murder of the civilian population in Chechnya. We must therefore get down to business here as well, and make it clear to the Russians that we are no longer prepared to do this.
I should like to be quite clear in my opinion that the European Union must change its policy here, that it must come out unambiguously on the side of the Chechen people. For this, the OSCE, the Ceasefire Agreement of 1996 and also Russia’s membership of the Council of Europe can also offer levers, together with our Cooperation Agreement with Russia. We only have to use these tools and should not just say what the present Russian leadership wants to hear. Mr Putin, a secret service man who distinguished himself in the last war in Chechnya, has constantly been quoted today. It has been said – almost emotionally – that he does not plan to declare a state of emergency. Why not? Because his popularity since the beginning of the war in Chechnya has increased sevenfold. Why then is he not going to be holding any elections? In fact, he is already conducting an election campaign by means of this war, and only if his popularity were to decline would scenarios like that have to be reconsidered. That is why we need to change our tune quickly and find clear words in which to express our point of view."@en1
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