Strasbourg, 17/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament adopted on Thursday afternoon, during its urgent debates, an umpteenth resolution on Chechnya (more specifically on "violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Chechnya", tabled by the EPP, Socialist, Liberal, Greens and United Left groups), inviting the EU to monitor closely the agreement of 11 March last between the Council of Europe and Russia on the deployment of a permanent international mission to the region. In the event of failure to respect the agreement, the EU Council should consider taking "other actions, of a judicial nature".
Parliament also: - invited Mr Kalamanov, President Putin's Special Representative for human rights in Chechnya, and the competent Duma representative, to report to its Committee on Foreign Affairs; - decided to create an ad hoc delegation of five Members to visit the North Caucasus region and hold discussions with the Russian authorities and Chechen representatives; - urged the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and OSCE to launch, with itself, an initiative of the type undertaken in Belarus, so as to contribute is shedding light on allegations of war crimes in Chechnya and contribute in easing thehumanitarian crisis.