[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 95 (Thursday, July 20, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7384-S7385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TAKE CONCRETE ACTION ON CHECHNYA AT THE G-8 SUMMIT

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today to once again draw 
attention to the continuing war in Chechnya. This war has raged for too 
long. The war in Chechnya from 1994-1996 left over 80,000 civilians 
dead, and the Foreign Relations Committee has received credible 
evidence that the current war has again resulted in the death of 
thousands of innocent civilians and the displacement of well over 
250,000 others. The committee also received credible evidence of 
widespread looting, summary executions, detentions, denial of safe 
passage to fleeing civilians, torture and rape, committed by Russian 
soldiers. Colleagues, regardless of the politics of this war, this kind 
of behavior is unacceptable. War has rules, and the evidence and 
testimony the Foreign Relations Committee received raises serious 
doubts as to whether or not the Russian Federation is playing by those 
rules. Much of the evidence we received showed clear violations of 
international humanitarian law, including the well-established Geneva 
Convention.
  Tomorrow is the official opening of Group of Eight Summit in Japan. 
The President must use this opportunity to relay our serious concerns 
with the actions of the Russian Government in Chechnya. Let's remember, 
what was the Group of Seven and became the G-8 with the inclusion of 
the Russian Federation, is an association of democratic societies with 
advanced economies. Although Russia is not yet a liberal democracy or 
an advanced economy, it was invited to take part in this group to 
encourage its democratic evolution. Today as I watch Russia refuse to 
initiate a political dialogue with the Chechen people, and continue to 
deny international humanitarian aid organizations and international 
human rights monitors access to Chechnya, I must question that 
evolution.
  I am disappointed that the Group of Eight will not include the 
situation in

[[Page S7385]]

Chechnya on is formal agenda, but I am hopeful that the President will 
voice our serious concerns about Russia's conduct in Chechnya and take 
concrete action to demonstrate our concern, during bilateral talks with 
President Putin.
  The United States should demand that the Russian Federation push for 
a negotiated, just settlement to this conflict. The conflict will not 
be resolved by military means and the Russian Federation should 
initiate immediately a political dialogue with a cross-section of 
representatives of the Chechen people, including representatives of the 
democratically elected Chechen authorities. The United States should 
remind the Russian Federation of the requests the Council of Europe for 
an immediate cease-fire and initiation of political dialogue, and of 
Russia's obligation to that institution and the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe.
  And colleagues, the President must also remind the Russian Federation 
government of its accountability to the international community and 
take steps to demonstrate that its conduct will effect its standing in 
the world community. This body and the U.N. Human Rights Commission has 
spoken out demanding the Russian government allow into Chechnya 
humanitarian agencies and international human rights monitors, 
including U.N. Special Rapporteur, yet the Russian government has not 
done so. This body and the international community has also demanded 
that the Russian Federation undertake systematic, credible, transparent 
and exhaustive investigations into allegations of violations of human 
rights and international humanitarian law in Chechnya, and to initiate, 
where appropriate, prosecutions against those accused. But again, the 
Russian Federation has not done so.

  During his meeting with President Putin, the President is expected to 
discuss economic reform in Russia and regional stability issues. 
President Clinton must relay to the Russian President that Russia's 
conduct in Chechnya is not only in violation of international 
humanitarian law, but that it threatens Russia's ability for economic 
reform and creates instability in the region. And President Clinton 
must make clear to President Putin that while the United States fully 
supports the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, and is 
fully aware of the evidence of grave human right violations committed 
by soldiers on both sides of the conflict, we strongly condemn Russia's 
conduct of the war in Chechnya and will continue to publicly voice our 
opposition to it. President Clinton should tell President Putin that 
the United States will take into consideration Russian conduct in 
Chechnya in any request for further rescheduling of Russia's 
international debt and U.S. assistance, until it allows full and 
unimpeded access into Chechnya humanitarian agencies and international 
human rights monitors, in accordance with international law.
  Colleagues, the war in Chechnya has caused enormous suffering for 
both the Chechen and Russian people, and the reports of the grave human 
rights violations committed there, on both sides of the conflict, 
continue daily. We must raise our concerns about the war in Chechnya at 
every chance and in every forum possible, including the G-8 Summit. I 
remind you again that the Group of Eight is an association of 
democratic societies with advanced economies--the Group of Seven 
invited the Russian Federation to encourage its democratic evolution. 
It is not yet a liberal democracy or an advanced economy. By not taking 
concrete steps during this Summit to demonstrate to the Russian 
Federation that its conduct is unacceptable for a democratic nation, is 
to condone it. I fear we have already put given human rights a back 
seat to economic issues by not placing Russian conduct in Chechnya on 
the formal agenda of the G-8 Summit. I hope that will not be the 
outcome of our bilateral talks with Russia in Japan.

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