21 June 2004 13:24
Russia welcomes dropping of Chechnya emergency debate in Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] will not hold emergency debates on the Chechen Republic.
This decision was adopted today [21 June] at the opening of PACE's June sitting.
Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Federation Council Mikhail Margelov has told us that this
will facilitate a more thorough consideration of the issue in future.
[Margelov] The Chechen issue will be discussed as part of the normal procedure, during PACE's October sitting.
This will be after all three rapporteurs, Tadeusz Iwinski, Rudolf Bindig and Andreas Gross have visited Chechnya and
worked with Russian parliamentarians and Chechen parliamentarians. Chechnya will by that time have had its presidential
elections. The normal political process will continue.
Russia is ready to cooperate with the Council of Europe concerning the Chechen dossier, but we are ready to cooperate
in a calm, normal, working atmosphere and under no circumstances under extraordinary conditions of urgent debates and
urgent, hastily-adopted resolutions.
[Ekho Moskvy radio] |
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