[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 17 (Friday, January 27, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          THE WAR IN CHECHNYA

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, last week, Russian President Boris Yeltsin 
declared victory in Chechnya, stating that the military stage of the 
conflict had concluded. It is clear, however, that neither the conflict 
nor its political and international ramifications are behind us. The 
fighting, although less intense, continues with horrifying reports of 
attacks against civilians. Russia's foray into Chechnya, moreover, 
continues to take a toll on Russia's domestic reform agenda as well as 
its relationships with the West.
  Secretary Christopher put it well last week after his meetings in 
Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev. He said: ``I told the 
Foreign Minister that the United States fully supports the principle of 
Russia's territorial integrity, but that we are extremely concerned 
about the price that the war is exacting in terms of human life, in 
terms of support of reform, and in terms of Russia's standing in the 
world.'' To my mind, Secretary Christopher delivered the right message. 
Let us hope that Russia responds appropriately.
  Mr. President, I believe that few of us would deny that territorial 
integrity is an important principle that must be preserved. There are 
32 ethnic federal units in Russia--consisting of 21 sovereign republics 
and 11 autonomous regions. These areas make up about one-third of 
Russia's land mass. Much
 of that territory is resource-rich and politically important. If 
Russia had taken a laissez-faire attitude toward Chechnya, it is 
conceivable that other republics and regions would have followed suit 
by attempting violent breakaways--breeding instability and bloodshed 
throughout the region. An unstable Russia is clearly not in the United 
States interest.

  I do believe that Russia has a right to preserve its borders 
consistent with the principles laid out by the Organization on Security 
and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE--formerly the CSCE--makes clear 
that Europe's borders are not to be changed by force. That being said, 
Russia can't have it both ways. if we are going to look to OSCE to 
argue that Russia's territorial integrity should be preserved, we also 
have to take seriously OSCE commitments and principles regarding human 
rights. As a member of OSCE, Russia has committed to observing certain 
standards of behavior. Most recently, at the OSCE summit in Budapest, 
OSCE members adopted a code of conduct that spells out principles 
guiding the role of armed forces in democratic societies. The Russian 
military's behavior in Chechnya raises serious questions about Russia's 
commitment to OSCE principles.
  It is not too late for Russia to seek a peaceful end to the Chechnya 
conflict. In fact, an OSCE team is scheduled to visit Chechnya to focus 
on human rights, treatment of prisoners, humanitarian aid, and election 
preparation. Moscow should welcome this as an opening to show good 
faith and follow through on President Yeltsin's pledge of 
``rehabilitating the life-support system and of protecting human rights 
to the full extent.''
  While I want to see the United States continue to engage Russia and 
to support the reform effort, there are many voices here in the 
Congress calling for a reevaluation of our relationship, including our 
assistance program. In my view, United States bilateral assistance--the 
vast majority of which is in the form of technical assistance to 
farmers, teachers, business representatives, and other ordinary 
Russians--is crucial to bolstering the reformers.
  By far the most important type of assistance, however, is the aid we 
provide under the Nunn-Lugar program to help Russia and the other 
nuclear powers of the former Soviet Union with dismantlement and 
conversion. It is a wise investment in our own security, and to create 
linkages between Chechnya and the Nunn-Lugar program would be the 
height of irresponsibility. As I said, however, not everyone shares 
this view, and I am afraid that if Russia does not opt for a peaceful 
solution to the Chechnya conflict, the march to end assistance will be 
unstoppable.


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