Chechnya, A tragedy for Europe and Russia: How to make Human Rights also respected in Chechnya 11 propositions for reflections and discussions

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Chechnya, A tragedy for Europe and RussiaHow
to make Human Rights also respected in Chechnya
11 propositions for reflections and discussions

• by Andreas Gross (Zurich)
• (Political Scientist, MP, PACE)
• Info_at_andigross.ch www.andigross.ch
• Svenska Freds/Kommitten for EU-Debatt
• Hur kann EU och andra länder agera för fred i
  Tjetjenien?
• Stockholm October 14th 2006

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Europe needs the Russian gas the next months
will show us, how much the defense of basic human
rights in comparison with economic interests
really counts.Film-Maker Eric Bergkraut in the
NZZ from 11th october 2006
The consternation about the assassination of
Anna Politkowskaja does not change anything about
the double morality (Doppelmoral) of the West.
Putins oil is too important J.Voswinkel /J.Ross
in the ZEIT from October 12 th 2006
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I. To end the (first) Chechnya's war was 1996 the
condition for Russias entry in the Council of
Europe

• No general (western) consensus (will) about
• How to build up Human Rights in post
  totalitarian societies
• How to do this in Russia
• How the end of war will be transformed into peace

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Old Europe welcomed and wanted to support the
project of the new Russian elite Modernization
means Europeanization

• Everything else would not have been in the
  interest of the Security of Europe - but how much
  old and new Europe have been ready to invest and
  engage for this ?

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II. Human Rights are never ending collective
learning processes

• There is always a beginning, never an end
• There is never a perfect democracy
• you may always reduce imperfections
• The will to begin and to make progress is
  essential
• This process has to be monitored

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III. You cant ignore the heritage of
totalitarism, - you have to transform it in a
common effort

• What is the political in a political
  solution?
• Elections have to be inclusive, not exclusive if
  you want to integrate a disintegrated society
• What is (democratic) power all about ?
• What are (democratic) politics all about ?
• Peace in Chechnya depends on the success of the
  democracy building process in Russia

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IV. For the (too few) sustainably en-gaged
Russian citizens the Russian CoE membership is of
great help

• The European Court of Human Rights ruled until
  now nearly only in the interest of the Russian
  citizens and not of the Russian Courts
• The PACE delivered in its Parliamentarian
  Monitoring Process one of the most complete
  critical analyses of Russias HR deficits
• The PACE is the only official body who brought
  light and public attention to Chechnya since 1996

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V. Avoid black white perceptions/pictures/stereo
types

• Mutual disrespect for Human Rights and Rule of
  law
• Mutual responsibilities for war and war crimes
• There a self-critical and reform oriented
  people on both sides
• Mutually bad feelingsKosachev /Kadyrow-
• Zakajew /Bassayew

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VI. The solution is not a moment, but the
beginning of a process

• The momentum for this beginning has to be
  integrative and respect the essentials of both
  sides
• The process has to be open-ended
• The design of this process and its mutual
  support might be the key of the
• beginning of the beginning

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VII. There are lessons to be learned from
successful historical autonomies as a tool for
overcoming crises (Aland)

• Integrate unity and variety
• Unite self-determination and integration
• Open ended process in which there is a
  procedure how disagreements have to be handled
• A third (international) party may help

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VIII. You cant ignore the global context, but
you dont have to sacrify a local community for
it

• International terror as well as
  fundamentalism are only (smaller) factors
  of the problem, not the problem as such
• Resources are of local importance but not the
  real issue for Russia
• Russia and Chechnyans feel themselves
  humiliated

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IX. The Russian and the chechnyan nation feel
sub-jectively as humiliated nations

• Humiliated nations are difficult to challenge
• They tend to transform internal problems in to
  external real and rhetoric agressivity (expl.
  Russia/ Georgia)

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X. You cant impose Human Rights in Russia
against or without Russians - you have to
integrate their concerns

• Integrity of the Russian Federation
• No violence anymore as political instrument
• Dialog and negotiations as the way to take in
  order to overcome disagreements

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XI. The leaders and peoples of Europe and the
West cant delegate their responsi-bilities, as
well as the Russian leader cant delegate theirs
to semi criminal structures

• The disregard of our principles
• discredit them most
• Energy- needs and high prices do not legitimize
  the ignorance of Humans Rights
• Human Rights are not sunshine- policies but
  conditions for peace and real stability