POUL NIELSON

MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 4 February 2000 D(2000)20045

Dear Mr Dupuis,

Following you interventions in the January plenary session of the European Parliament, I would like to assure you that, not only have I taken note of your grave concerns about the conflict currently raging in Chechnya, and the problems of delivering humanitarian aid to the victims of this crisis, but that I wholeheartedly share your concerns.

The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has been implementing relief programmes in co-operation with the humanitarian agencies active in the Northern Caucasus since the early stages of this crisis. Among ECHO's partners are UNHCR and ICRC. The total funding allocated by ECHO so far stands at 7.4. Mios E.

Unfortunately, unsatisfactory working conditions in the whole region still seriously limit the operational margin of manoeuvre of our implementing partners. In particular, the security situation for aid workers continues to be of great concern.

Although this humanitarian emergency coincided with a number of equally important priorities (such as the Lomé negotiations and the East Timor crisis), I have personally followed on-going developments in the Northern Caucasus over the last couple of months. A number of high-level visits to the region have been carried out in direct communication with me personally. As you will recall, I was represented by an ECHO official on the mission to Ingushetia organised by the Finnish Presidency last November. I am now preparing to go to the Northern Caucasus myself, in order to complement the information that I have already received.

As you are aware, delivering humanitarian aid to victims of an ongoing war situation is inevitably an enormously difficult and delicate task. The situation in Chechnya is indeed devastating, yet I am convinced that the humanitarian assistance being provided by our own field staff and partners on the ground is of as good a quality as can possibly be expected in such arduous conditions.

Yours sincerely,

Poul Nielson

Mr Olivier DUPUIS, MEP

Altiero Spincelli, 07H149

European Parliament

Rue Wiertz

B-1047 BRUSSELS