Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate on bringing peace to Chechnya
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 106th Cong., 2d Sess. S. 2549
SENSE OF THE SENATE ON BRINGING PEACE TO CHECHNYA.
(a) FINDINGS. The Senate finds that
(1) the Senate of the United States unanimously passed Senate Resolution 262 on February 7 24th, 2000, which condemned the indiscriminate use of force by the Government of the Russian Federation against the people of Chechnya and called for peace negotiations between the Government of the Russian Federation and the democratically elected Government of Chechnya led by President Aslan Maskhadov;
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate received credible evidence reporting that Russian forces in Chechnya caused the deaths of innocent civilians and the displacement of well over 250,000 other residents of Chechnya and committed widespread atrocities, including summary executions, torture, and rape;
(3) the Government of the Russian Federation continues its military campaign in Chechnya, includ- ing using indiscriminate force, causing further dislocation of people from their homes, the deaths of noncombatants, and widespread suffering;
(4) the Government of the Russian Federation refuses to participate in peace negotiations with the democratically elected government of Chechnya;
(5) the war in Chechnya contributes to ethnic hatred and religious intolerance within the Russian Federation, jeopardizes prospects for the establishment of democracy in the Russian Federation, and is a threat to the peace in the region; and
(6) it is in the interests of the United States to promote a cease-fire in Chechnya and negotiations between the Government of the Russian Federation and the democratically elected government of Chechnya that result in a just and lasting peace;
(7) representatives of the democratically elected President of Chechnya, including his foreign minister, have traveled to the United States to facilitate an immediate cease-fire to the conflict in Chechnya and the initiation of peace negotiations between Russian and Chechen forces;
(8) the Secretary of State and other senior United States Government officials have refused to meet with representatives of the democratically elected President of Chechnya to discuss proposals for an immediate cease-fire between Chechen and Russian forces and for peace negotiations; and
(9) the Senate expresses its concern over the war and the humanitarian tragedy in Chechnya and its desire for a peaceful and durable settlement to the conflict.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that
(1) the Government of the Russian Federation should immediately
(A) cease its military operations in Chechnya and participate in negotiations toward a just peace with the leadership of the Chechen Government led by President Aslan Maskhadov;
(B) allow into and around Chechnya international missions to monitor and report on the situation there and to investigate alleged atrocities and war crimes; and
(C) grant international humanitarian agencies full and unimpeded access to Chechen civilians, including those in refugee, detention, and so-called ��filtration camps��, or any other facility where citizens of Chechnya are detained;
(2) the Secretary of State should meet with representatives of the government of Chechnya led by President Aslan Maskhadov to discuss its proposals to initiate a cease-fire in the war in Chechnya and to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to the victims of this tragic conflict; and
(3) the President of the United States, in structuring United States policy toward the Russian Federation, should take into consideration the refusal of the Government of the Russian Federation to cease its military operations in Chechnya and to participate in peace negotiations with the government of Chechnya.