Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 Jun 2000

Vol. 520 No. 4

Written Answers. - Foreign Conflicts.

Brendan Daly

Question:

55 Mr. Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action the Government proposes to take on Recommendation No. 1456 (2000) of the General Assembly of the Council of Europe on the conflict in Chechnya; and if the Government proposes to use Article 33 of the European Convention to refer to the court alleged breaches by Russia of the European Convention of Human Rights. [15884/00]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

The Government shares the deep concerns of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the situation in Chechnya, as reflected in Recommendation No. 1456 of 2000 and other recommendations and declarations of the Assembly.

The Irish chairmanship of the Council of Europe worked intensively on this question over the six months of the chairmanship which concluded on 11 May. At meetings which I had with Foreign Minister Ivanov of the Russian Federation in Luxembourg and New York following the adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of Recommendation No. 1456 and again at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers which I chaired on 10-11 May, I strongly emphasised the need for Russia to respond constructively and substantively to the concerns of the Parliamentary Assembly, in particular regarding the investigation of human rights violations, the commence ment of political dialogue with Chechnyan political representatives and the deployment of Council of Europe experts to Mr. Kalamanov's office.

At the Committee of Ministers meeting on 10-11 May, Russia gave a number of commitments on issues raised in Recommendation No. 1456. These are reflected in the communiqué which was issued following the meeting. On the basis of these commitments, the Committee of Ministers was able to conclude at that time that steps were being taken by Russia to address the concerns of the Assembly.

It is important that these commitments are followed up with concrete actions on the ground. The Committee of Ministers is obliged to present a report to the Parliamentary Assembly for its June session at which a conclusion will have to be reached on the core issue of whether "the substantial, accelerating and demonstrable" progress called for in Recommendation No. 1456 is being made by Russia. On that basis, the committee will have to decide on its response to the Parliamentary Assembly. Although no longer in the Chair, Ireland will continue to follow closely the developments in Chechnya and we will be looking for clear evidence of actual implementation by Russia of its commitments. In our view, no option should at this stage be excluded.

My hope is that Russia will act on these very specific commitments. The question of the added value of an inter-state case under Article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights would need to be examined in the light of the outcome of Russia's actions. In our view, the initiation of such a case would be premature at this time.