United Nations

E/2000/l 10

UN Economic and Social Council

Distr.: General

10 October 2000

Original: English

Resumed substantive session of 2000

18 October 2000

Agenda item 12

Non-governmental organizations

Letter dated 9 October 2000 from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Economic and Social Council

I wish to draw your attention to the appeal of the Transnational Radical Party.

In this appeal, the Transnational Radical Party asserts "the decisive vote" in the Economic and Social Council belongs to "states governed by totalitarian and dictatorial regimes which, in open violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, systematically repress civil and political liberties".

The delegation of the Russian Federation regards this statement as an attack against the authority of the Council and a deliberate insult to its member States. By launching this appeal, the political organization Transnational Radical Party clearly abuses its consultative status with the Council by engaging in politically motivated acts against Member States of the United Nations.

In this regard, we confirm our commitment to the recommendation by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, that the Council suspend the consultative status with the Council of the Transnational Radical Party for three years

I would like to request that you send a copy of this letter to all members of the Council. The aforementioned appeal by the Transnational Radical Party is enclosed herewith (see annex).

(Signed) Sergey Lavrov

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 9 October 2000 from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

The case of the Transnational Radical Party: five years at the United Nations, 1995-2000

Expulsion of TRP from the United Nations: appeal to the

President and the members of the Economic and Social Council

We, the undersigned,

Considering that the Economic and Social Council will meet on l8 October

2000 to decide whether to confirm or reject the request for the suspension for three years of the consultative status at the United Nations of the Transnational Radical Party, that this request, put forward by the Russian Federation and supported by a majority vote of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations, is based on the false and defamatory charges of activities in support of terrorism, international narco-traffic and paedophilia, and that none of the charges has been demonstrated in any way and that the procedures followed by the NGO Committee of the United Nations do not respect the principles of the right to a fair trial and the right to defence,

Denouncing the fact that the accusations made by the Russian Federation constitute the reaction to the campaign carried out by the Transnational Radical

Party in favour of human and political rights in Chechnya and to the denunciation of the atrocities committed, the fact that the Transnational Radical Party is accused of the very crimes against which it has fought for years, within the seats of the United Nations and elsewhere and that it risks being judged and condemned with the decisive vote of states governed by totalitarian and dictatorial regimes which, in open violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, systematically repress civil and political liberties, and the fact that the confirmation on the part of the Economic and Social Council of the suspension of the consultative status of the Transnational Radical Party would constitute a serious and extremely dangerous precedent, threatening freedom of opinion and freedom of speech at the United

Nations for all non-governmental organizations,

Expressing our thanks to the front made up of Chile, France, Germany, Romania and the United States, which, during the debate on the case of the Transnational Radical Party in the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, defended the right to the free manifestation of opinions, and opposed a sentence for a "crime of opinion",

Also expressing our solidarity with the Transnational Radical Party, its leaders and its members, including the hundreds of public figures around the world who in the last few weeks have decided, by means of a public appeal, to join the Party, to support its cause and to defend its freedom in the face of the threat of expulsion from the United Nations,

Ask the President and the members of the Economic and Social Council to reject the unfounded and defamatory charges made by the Russian Federation and to take all possible political and diplomatic steps to prevent a suspension that would constitute not only an unjust sentence for TRP but also an intolerable violation of the principle of freedom of expression and therefore a serious attack on the credibility and the prestige of the United nations.