19 February 2004, 13:35
Russia opens Chechnya for OSCE
Russia is ready to admit the OSCE to Chechnya again. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov reached the agreement with his Bulgarian colleague Solomon Passy, who is OSCE Chairman-in-Office, that the OSCE would participate in the reconstruction of the republic.
For now the parties agreed to form working groups that would draw out concrete projects.
"One shouldn't wait for miracles right away, of course," Mr Passy said at a joint press conference in Moscow. "But in order to perform a miracle, we must start from some somewhere. Therefore I welcome the readiness of the Russian Government to cooperate with the OSCE."
Igor Ivanov evaded the question whether Solomon Passy had brought up questions about the state of democratic institutions and press freedom in Russia. US, French and German colleagues of the Russian minister, who visited Moscow earlier, raised their concern about it.
The Russian authorities closed the OSCE mission in Chechnya twice: in 1998 and in 2002. They were displeased with the appeals to conduct negations with Chechen separatists and with the criticism of the human rights situation made by the organization.
Source: BBC Radio (Great Britain)
