Chechnya Conflict

A: The U.S. Government supports Russia's territorial integrity and right to defend itself against terrorism. At the same time, we consistently press the Russian Government to end human rights abuses and to prosecute those found responsible. We remain committed to a cessation of violence by all parties and to finding a sustainable political solution to the conflict. The United States has contributed over $98 million dollars since fiscal year 2000 to meet the humanitarian needs of Chechens in Chechnya and the surrounding areas of the North Caucasus. We would welcome further constructive cooperation from Russia on resolving the tragic situation in Chechnya. ... [Read More]

Russia

Under the law, health care for children is free; however, the quality varied, and individuals incurred significant out-of-pocket expenses. According to a 2000 UNICEF survey, IDP children from the Chechen conflict suffered disproportionately from chronic anemia and had a low rate of vaccinations due to the collapse of local health and education systems as a result of the conflict. ...

International organizations estimated that the number of IDPs and refugees who left Chechnya as a result of the conflict reached a high of approximately 280,000 in the spring of 2000 (see Section 2.d.). At various times during the conflict, authorities restricted the movement of persons fleeing Chechnya and exerted pressure on them to return to Chechnya (see Section 2.d.). As of September, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that 75,651 displaced persons remained in Ingushetiya and 141,000 IDPs. ... [Read More]

USIA, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, December 1996 - JohnKronblum, "The OSCE: A Leader in Conflict Prevention

But, in general, the OSCE works very well at the low end of theconflict; it's low end conflict prevention. And there areinstitutions that work even in advance of the OSCE missions. There is, for example, the High Commissioner for NationalMinorities, who goes out and tries to deal with possible conflictsituations before they even become public. ...

KORNBLUM: The OSCE began as the most basic effort to avoidconflict. That was to define principles of behavior between twoopposing sides -- East and West -- and to agree to begin adialogue on how these principles were to be fulfilled. And forits first 10 years, from 1975 to 1985, the OSCE functioned verymuch as a floating conference: a series of meetings whererepresentatives from East and West debated a vision of society. And in debating this vision of society, they illuminated whereconflicts could arise and illuminated in a very slow, almostimperceptible fashion the underlying reason for possible conflictin Europe, which was the denial of human rights. ... [Read More]

U.S. Policy and the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe

The OSCE is an important political forum in which member states have been willing to undertake far-reaching commitments to strengthen the rule of law and democratic principles and is a key partner in furthering peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. The organization is the primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation in the region. The OSCE is engaged in dealing with all phases of the conflict cycle and the Organization's comprehensive approach to security recognizes that human rights and economic and environmental issues are as important as political-military ones. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Abide by International Humanitarian Law in Conflicts, U.S. Urges

The United States also remains steadfastly committed to upholding the Geneva Conventions, which have been the bedrock of protection in armed conflict for more than 50 years. These Conventions provide important protections designed to reduce human suffering in armed conflict. We expect other nations to treat our service members and civilians in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Our Armed Forces are committed to complying with them and to holding accountable those in our military who do not. ... [Read More]

Russia

Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change Their GovernmentThe Constitution provides citizens with the right to change their Government peacefully, and citizens exercised this right in practice through periodic, generally free and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. The Constitution establishes four branches of Government: The Presidency; the Federal Assembly made up of two houses (the State Duma and Federation Council); the Government and Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister; and the Judiciary. The Constitution gives predominance to the Presidency, and the President utilized his many powers to set national priorities and establish individual policies. After President Yeltsin's December 1999 resignation, Vladimir Putin assumed the post of acting President. In a March 2000 election, Putin was elected President. While some ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: U.S. Ambassador to Moscow on Terrorist Attacks

AMB. VERSHBOW: Well, we've always recognized that part of the crisis that the Russians face in Chechnya is one that's related to international terrorism. The extremist forces in Chechnya do have external sources of support, including from groups in the Middle East and South Asia, and so there is a terrorist dimension to the Chechnya conflict, but I think we have to say that the Russian approach to solving that conflict in our view is leading them down the wrong path. A military approach is only making a bad situation worse and we continue to emphasize our view that their interests lie in finding a political solution to the Chechnya crisis, even as we both stand [sic] the terrorist groups that might be fueling that conflict. One more question? ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Russia

In August, the Kremlin transferred control of media access to the area of the Chechen conflict to the Ministry of Interior. On December 2, a court in Ingushetiya ordered the deportation of Kosuke Tsuneoka, Moscow based correspondent for Kyodo Tsuin, who was detained by police in Nazran, Ingushetiya, and accused of lacking proper registration. While Tsuneoka had a valid business visa, authorities stated that Tsuneoka did not have a journalist visa and had failed to obtain special permission to report from the conflict zone. Government interference was particularly notable in relation to the war in Chechnya and neighboring republics (see Section 1.g.), and especially in connection with the Beslan school hostage crisis in September. Domestic and international human rights advocates accused the Government of failing to provide timely and accurate information about the scale and consequences of the crisis. The press quoted freed hostages as saying that distorted reporting by state televisio ... [Read More]

Guidelines for Submission of Proposals for Activities in the North Caucasus

Organizations should submit three original copies of their proposals to PRM Washington. Proposals should be no more than 8-10 pages in length, not including the budget and required signed certifications. Descriptions of background information should be succinct. Do not include a general description of the conflict in Chechnya. Proposals should provide information on NGOs’ activities in the North Caucasus in past years to demonstrate their track record in the region. At this time, PRM will fund no more than 12 months of activities for a given organization. ... [Read More]

(E) Eurasia Overview

Georgia faced the potential for spillover violence from the Chechen conflict and contended with international mujahidin seeking to use Georgian territory as a conduit for financial and logistic support to the mujahidin in Chechnya. Russia continued to pressure Georgia for stronger border controls. With international assistance, Georgia has steadily increased its border control presence on its northern border and invited monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE has not recorded any movement of mujahidin across the Georgian border with Chechnya, although some evidence suggests that, despite these efforts, neither Russian nor Georgian border guards have been able to seal the border entirely from individuals and small groups passing to and from Chechnya. ... [Read More]