WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya:

On October 11, 2000, The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya and Radio Free Europe, organized a discussion: Bringing Peace to Chechnya at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The meeting featured a presentation by Ilyas Akhmadov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Chechnya-Ichkeria. Akhmadov was joined by a panel of speakers including Senator Gordon Smith, Dawn Calabia, Senior External Relations Officer for UNHCR, Thomas Graham, Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Paul Goble, Director of Radio Free Europe.

Senator Gordon Smith said that the present war in Chechnya has been raging for over a year while the international community has done little to help bring peace to the area. He noted that the U.S. Congress has not been indifferent to the situation in Chechnya. Many members of Congress recognize that Chechens are exercising a legitimate right of self-defense against Russian military forces and they urge the Russian government to initiate a cease-fire and to begin negotiations with Chechen authorities for a peace agreement. Before introducing Foreign Minister Akhmadov, Senator Smith said that the OSCE can help in the process of negotiating a peace agreement and he urged the international community to not turn a blind eye to the conflict.

Foreign Minister Akhmadov began by expressing his concern over the non-combatant Chechen refugees who are unable to escape the conflict in the southern region of Chechnya and who are trapped in camps where poor sanitation and scarce food lead to a mortality rate which increases everyday.

Because of ongoing fighting, closed borders, and Russian insistence that they are only migrants, humanitarian relief workers cannot reach refugees in southern Chechnya. The coming winter is sure to take a heavy toll on the refugees who are crowded into makeshift tents. The Russian military has not set up escape corridors in the south for refugees, and as a result, there have been heavy civilian casualties. Both Russia and the international community have refused to grant the refugees their basic rights, referring to them instead as 'migrants.' He estimates that there are currently between 170,000 and 270,000 refugees in Ingushetia alone.

Akhmadov commented extensively on the political-military situation, particularly on the Russian side. He said that Russia has no ability to establish control over the area with its ground forces and, therefore, must use artillery and aircraft as a substitute. This tactic takes a very heavy toll on civilians who are indiscriminately bombed along with combatants. Military casualties on both sides have been very high. Russians report that they are losing 19-25 soldiers per week, but Akhmadov estimates that the true number is four times that. The Russians are trying to cover so much territory that all they can do is protect themselves. They are being attacked from all sides. Despite the heavy losses, the international community pays very little attention to the conflict.

Neither Russia nor the international community has paid any attention to the Chechen government's peace initiatives. Russia views these initiatives as a sign of weakness. Overall, Akhmadov said he had little grounds for optimism that there would be a peace agreement soon.

Dawn Calabia, Senior External Relations Officer for UNHCR, said that the UNHCR has been trying to get aid into Chechnya since October 1999. The chief problems for the UNHCR are insecurity as neither side is able to guarantee the security of the UN relief workers due to generalized banditry and threat of attacks. Often these workers are met with hostility by Russian soldiers who have delayed, detained, threatened and at times have beaten relief workers. The security risk has greatly hindered efforts to assist refugees. Security from both sides, however, is the obstacle to effective relief work. Families in Ingushetia have been taking in Chechen refugees but many are now turning them away because of the sheer number of them and limited resources.

Calabia noted that approximately 20 percent of the Chechen refugees in Ingushetia lack the proper identity documents, without which they cannot return to Chechnya. The UNHCR is working with government officials to obtain the proper identity documents. Currently, there are about 7,000 Chechen

refugees in Georgia who are being assisted by the UNHCR. Calabia also noted that the West is falling short in its funding for Chechen refugees, noting that their aid needs are $50 million. She said that the U.S. is providing the majority of this assistance, furnishing approximately $22 million in assistance. Calabia said that unfortunately other western countries are not stepping in to meet the humanitarian need that is required.

Thomas Graham of the Carnegie Endowment spoke about the Russian perspective on the war. He was very critical of the Chechen elite's efforts, or lack thereof, to rebuild Chechen society following the first Chechen war. Graham said that there were 1,000 kidnappings during the inter-war period, in addition to a great deal of terrorist activity, and the attack on Dagestan. The lack of order gave Russia a nominal reason to return. The elite's failure to bring order to Chechnya made the area a legitimate threat to Russian national security.

Graham believes, however, that Russia's response was grossly disproportionate to the threat emanating from Chechnya and that continued involvement in the conflict is a much greater threat to Russian national security. The war costs Russia nearly $1 billion per year, or 3-4 percent of the total federal budget. These scarce resources are being diverted from where they are truly needed. The real threat to Russia is its catastrophic socio-economic decline over the past decade.

Graham listed three negative effects of the Russian war in Chechnya:

1. It is eroding Russian influence in the Caucuses, particularly with Muslim states.

2. It is severely demoralizing the Russian military.

3. It is complicating the task of building a new Russian civic identity.

Graham thought the "situation is ready for a solution." The Russian political and business elite are growing weary of the endless drain the conflict demands. Among the public, support for the war has dropped from two-thirds to half the population, and absolute opposition is rising. Furthermore, a majority of Russians believe that Putin can negotiate a peace without hurting his presidency. Graham offered six elements to a solution:

1. Implement an immediate cease-fire that would be negotiated with the democratically elected government of President Aslan Maskhadov.

2. Postpone a final solution on Chechnya's status. The Chechens must put off independence for now. Moscow would agree to an ambiguous status.

3. Grant international access to refugee camps.

4. Provide an international assistance package to Chechnya to help the Maskhadov government rebuild the country. Russia clearly lacks the financial resources to rebuild Chechnya. Russia would, however, be expected to contribute to the rebuilding effort.

5. Mount a joint Chechen-Russian-Western effort to defeat those Chechen factions opposing a negotiated settlement between the Maskhadov government and Russia.

6. Establish a timetable for the election of a new president in Chechnya.

Meanwhile, the West must resist adopting Russian language on the conflict, e.g. terrorism. And the West must threaten to make G-8 membership contingent on Russia's behavior in Chechnya.

Contact: Glen E. Howard of the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya, 202-483-8888