[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 96 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7419-S7420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                CHECHNYA

  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.
  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

[[Page S7420]]

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 Chechnya on its 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.
  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 a 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 rights 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.
  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.
  That is why I speak on the floor of the Senate today.
  I fear we have already given human rights a back seat to economic 
issues by not placing Russia's conduct in Chechnya on the formal agenda 
of the G-8 summit, which is meeting right now. I hope that will not be 
the outcome of our bilateral talks with Russia in Japan.
  I hope the President will be firm. I hope the President will be 
strong. I hope the U.S. Government is on the side of human rights. As a 
Senator from Minnesota, I want to communicate in the strongest possible 
language that I hope Russia will do well. My father fled persecution in 
Russia. My hope is that Russia will be able to build a democratic 
economy. That is my hope for the Russian people. But I also want to 
make it clear to the Russian Federation that the conduct in Chechnya is 
unacceptable, in violation of basic international law, and that we 
should be talking about and moving toward some kind of peaceful 
settlement; and, for certain, international humanitarian agencies and 
human rights agencies should have unimpeded access to Chechnya now. 
Otherwise, the murder, the rape, the torture, and the killing of 
innocent people will continue. We in the Senate should speak out on 
this matter.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized.

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