Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-10-Speech-3-006"
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"en.20020410.1.3-006"2
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". – Mr President, the Commission shares Parliament's concern about the deterioration of the situation on the ground in Chechnya, as shown by a number of recent solid reports of serious violations of human rights over the past few months.
We remain concerned about the persistent difficult operating conditions for humanitarian organisations in the Northern Caucasus, notably the opaque and time-consuming system of access and work permits for Chechnya, and also the denial to humanitarian NGOs of the right to use VHF radio communication which is very important for their safety.
We have been constructively raising the issue of operating conditions with Russian authorities at various levels for more than two years, with only very minor improvements so far. We have tried all possible channels; this is a discordant element in the ongoing discussion with the Russian authorities, but we will not stop pressing these issues.
Security conditions in the Northern Caucasus remain difficult; indeed, one must expect a certain level of operational problems. But we expect more cooperation to be forthcoming from the relevant Russian authorities. In this regard, we will continue to advocate concrete improvements, so as to facilitate the conduct of humanitarian operations according to the basic established normal international standards of safety, efficiency and independent monitoring and evaluation.
In parallel, we will keep insisting that any repatriation of Chechen displaced persons, from within neighbouring Ingushetia and Daghestan, and refugees from Georgia, must take place on a voluntary and unconditional basis only. This is becoming a more and more serious issue. A massive return movement seems rather unlikely at present, given the persisting instability and violence in Chechnya and the very limited progress in the implementation of the Russian Government's long-announced rehabilitation and reconstruction programme.
In view of these reports, including from the Council of Europe, the European Union has continued to express its concerns on the matter to the Russian authorities through the appropriate diplomatic channels. As you are aware, the EU-Russia political dialogue offers an intensive calendar of high-level meetings, including last week’s Ministerial Troika with Foreign Minister Ivanov in Madrid.
The position of the European Union on this issue is quite simple, and quite firm. The EU supports Russia wholeheartedly in its legitimate fight against terrorism, in Chechnya and elsewhere. There should be no doubt about this. Our calls for a political solution which, without prejudice to the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, satisfies the majority of the Chechen people, do not in any way undermine such support.
Equally, there should be no doubt about the EU commitment to uphold human rights in the fight against terrorism world-wide, including in Chechnya. In this regard, I am confident that the European Parliament fully shares the view that the fight against international terrorism cannot serve as justification or excuse for the violation of the most basic individual human rights, be it in the West Bank, in Afghanistan or in Chechnya. This should not change – and has indeed not changed – due to the horrible terrorist attacks of 11 September last year.
Against the background of our joint efforts with Russia to establish closer political and economic relations, the European Union has repeatedly made clear to Russia that it expects her to act in full accordance with the values that Russia undertook to respect when it entered the Council of Europe and the OSCE. These basic principles of full respect of fundamental human rights and the rule of law, including international law, constitute an integral part of the strategic partnership that we are trying to build together.
As you are aware, the Human Rights Commission is currently meeting in session in Geneva, and Chechnya remains an important item on the agenda. The European Commission is fully participating in the internal deliberations of the EU in this forum. While the European Union is prepared to engage in good-faith negotiations with Russia, in order to acknowledge all positive efforts undertaken by Russia during last year, there are still too many very serious issues that have yet to be addressed in Chechnya.
On the positive side, we have acknowledged some positive Russian steps towards a political solution that could guarantee long-term peace and stability in Chechnya. We welcome these steps and are prepared to support them in any way necessary. In the same vein, we must also acknowledge that there has been progress on a number of issues during the last year, including on physical reconstruction, setting the conditions for economic development, supporting the reestablishment of the Chechen judiciary to restore the rule of law, and so on. Clearly, a lot more has to be done in all of these fields, but there has been progress and credit should be given where credit is due.
Also, we have noted that the number of reported violations of human rights that have been followed up by prosecutors has increased. However, we must still regret the excessively low number of follow-up convictions that these reports have resulted in. It is clear that, by dispelling any notion of impunity, the punishment of those guilty of human rights violations is crucial to avoid further violations in the future. More must be done here.
Another area where progress is warranted is in the provision of and access to humanitarian assistance. As you are aware, the European Union, through the European Commission Humanitarian Office ECHO, is by far the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the Northern Caucasus. Since October 1999, we have provided some EUR 65 million in aid to the victims of the Chechnya conflict and last year alone more than EUR 40 million. Our funding is crucial for the presence of international humanitarian NGOs in the area, as well as being crucial also for the work and presence of UN organisations, notably the UNHCR. In our view it is essential that representatives of the international humanitarian community are present in Chechnya."@en1
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