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Russian
International Committee for “Stopping the war and peace settlement in
Chechnya” sent an open appeal to embassies of Gerat Britain, Germany, Italy,
Canada, USA, France and Japan. This
appeal, which was addressed to the leaders of these countries, contains a call
to undertake drastic measures to stop the war and massive violation of human
rights in Chechnya, to overcome humanitarian catastrophe in North Caucasus, and
to call Vladimir Putin to start peace negotiations with Aslan Maskhadov during
July session in Genoa.
This
appeal was promulgated on a press conference, which took place in Moscow’s
Institute for development, on June 14. Russian
and English text of the open appeal addressed to the president of USA Gordz V.
Bush and other materials were represented. Kovalev
Sergei Adamovich, deputy of the State Duma of Russian Federation; Rybakov Yulii
Andreevich, deputy of State Duma of Russian Federation; tkachenko Aleksandr
Petrovich a General Secretary of Russian Pen-Center; writer, national actress of
Chechen-Ingushetia, Honored Actress of Russian Federation and director of Center
for Investigation and Popularization of Chechen culture “Lam” (Grozny)
Zuleikhan Bagalova; Samodurov Yuri Vadimovich, Museum, Andrei Sakharov’s
Public Center; Ponamarev Lev Aleksandrovich, All-Russian movement for “Human
rights” spoke at the conference.
The
main idea, which was stated on the press-conference, belonged to the deputy
Sergei Kovalev: hypocritical politic of the West democracy leaders, which refuse
to react in appropriate way on appalling human rights violations in Chechnya
does not only make them accomplices of Kremlin’s criminal politic
but also threatens to finally depreciate standards of international low,
and to return the world into epoch of uncovered triumph of cynicism Sergei
Kovalev remarked that the war in Chechnya was initiated by the same group in
Russian summit that selected the candidature of Vladimir Putin to succeed Yelcin....
Kremlin studiously ignores, and Maskhodov’s envoy that arrived to Moscow to
organize negotiations with Yeltsin in July1999 was arrested.
In
the opinion of Aleksandr Tkachenko only a person who started it, Vladimir Putin
itself, can stop the war in Chechnya. The
data of latest public opinion poll questioning (VCIOM) (end of May, beginning of
June 2001) testify a growing tiredness and a feeling of hopelessness spreading
in Russian society because of the war in Chechnya, Gudkov Lev Dmitreevichone of
the VCIOM leaders reported to the agency “For human rights”.
When
summing up a regular questioning of 1600 respondents, the well-known Russian
sociologist remarked that after “several month of relative a vagueness, which
dominated in social opinion in autumn of the last year and present winter,
number of those who support continuation of military actions constantly
decreases and reached the smallest showings for the whole period of the war by
June, 34% are “for” the war and 58% are against.
Moreover,
the massif of those who found difficulty in replying is decreasing, people who
were indifferent to politics or just incompetent, of little education. In next
2-3 month if any extraordinary events won’t happen (new terrorist act,
intensification of bloody clashes between federal army and Chechen combatants)
number of those who support peace negotiations will rise more for 7-10% and this
can noticeably change social balance and the estimation of the situation.
In
addition, realization of that the war is a deadlock and that nothing can be
solved by force in this case, that only destruction and people murdering is
behind, don’t grow into resentment agaist leadership of the country or to
assertion of corresponding demands to the government (in relation to this, only
14% of questioned express their claims and indignation of armed actions).
Massive
reactions bear more passive character, by reflecting a massive tendency to force
out the problems of such kind from the mind, to not talk about them.
Today, realization of that the wave of fear and indignation, revenge and
hope for strong and authoritative leader who is able to protect people from
terrorists ended. The realization
that these hopes didn’t fulfilled that the war is useless and hopeless.
At
the end of May 63% of questioned people consider that continuation of the war
leads to depredates the army, demoralization of the society and to massive
spreading of violence. 23% of the
people have contrary opinion; this is a mass that is aggressively and
irreconcilably mood on the war until victorious end; people who will demand to
continue the military actions despite on any losses of the army and between
civilians. Among these are more
supporters of “Unity”(Edinstvo) and LDPR than any other parties.
From
materials of agency “For human rights”
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