Olivier Dupuis: war in Chechnya can be stopped with help of UN

On 6 February, the European Parliament member, Olivier Dupuis, issued a statement in reply to the accusation by Russian President Putin against the Maskhadov administration:

After the terrorist attack in Moscow, as expected, Vladimir Putin quickly accused of complicity in terrorism those who sign "calls from abroad" in support of reasonable and peaceful political alternatives to the war and terrorist slaughterhouse which the war in Chechnya is.

It should be noted that the call that comes "from abroad" is the only one and supports the plan of Akhmadov-Maskhadov to establish a UN interim administration in Chechnya with the withdrawal of Russian armed forces and disarmament of the Chechen armed forces.

This manifesto was signed by 145 European parliamentarians, dozens of internationally renowned people (including Sergey Kovalyov, Yelena Bonner-Sakharova, Lev Ponomaryov, and Alexander Podrabinek, all of whom feared for democracy in Russia when Putin was just a KGB (State Security Committee) officer), and also thousands of other people all over the world.

It should be reminded that those in Russia who approve of a "diplomatic solution" are presented as if they were defeatist or capitulating to terrorism, the same arguments being used against them as those being used by the Chechen extremist minority trying to isolate and discredit President Aslan Maskhadov. Both the ones in Moscow and the others in Chechnya know that the continuation of the "terrorist war" is the best way of maintaining the status quo and thus legitimizing their own power.

Now, more than ever, it is essential to decisively support the only possible position both for Russians and Chechens. In an interview to be published in the Chechen Times soon, I said, "Even if, with the most optimistic military situation, the (Chechen) opposition succeeded in defeating the Russian armed forces and driving them out of Chechnya, this would be a victory without any political future for this would only lead to even larger isolation, which, like in 1996, with the sovereignty not recognized by any state."

The only decision that could guarantee both a victory for Russia (through a stop of the highly serious process of erosion of democracy) and a victory for Chechnya (through a mechanism permitting the seeding and nurturing of freedom, jural state and tolerance) lies in the internationalization of the peace process through establishing the United Nations interim administration.

Editors note: See also the article "Vladimir Putin is sure that yesterday's explosion organized by Aslan Maskhadov".