HL Deb 30 June 2004 vol 663 cc257-9

2.53 p.m.

Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their policy towards the current conflict in Chechnya and the effect which this has on the population.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, the Chechen conflict has had a devastating effect. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or are missing. We recognise the genuine security problems Russia faces. We have repeatedly condemned terrorist attacks across Russia, including the recent raids into Ingushetia. We continue to be concerned by reports of human rights abuses in Chechnya by federal, local and separatist forces.

Lord Hylton

My Lords, I welcome the general tone of the noble Baroness's reply. However, does she agree that there is no conceivable military solution? Therefore, will the Government commit themselves to starting a political dialogue which, with luck, may lead to negotiations? Is it not the case that we need a peace process to begin somewhere?

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, I very much agree with the noble Lord, Lord Hylton, that a genuine, open political process is exactly what is needed, as well as reconciliation within that process. I hope that he will be heartened by the news that my honourable friend Bill Rammell, the FCO Minister, raised that very point in his discussions with senior Russian officials in Moscow in April.

Baroness Rawlings

My Lords, I agree totally with the noble Lord, Lord Hylton. What is Her Majesty's Government's response to the finding of Human Rights Watch that human rights abuses, which previously occurred almost exclusively in Chechnya, are now increasingly spreading across the border?

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, we are extremely worried about the recent incursion into Ingushetia. That shows the fragility of the security situation there. Further attacks by rebels cannot be ruled out. There is likely to be further instability leading up to the Chechen presidential election at the end of August. So the whole Caucasus area is very fragile.

Lord Judd

My Lords, does my noble friend accept that if a political solution is necessary, there are dangers in the forthcoming presidential election—so-called—due to take place at the end of August in Chechnya, in that that election is based upon a flawed referendum approving a flawed constitution?

Does the Minister not agree that if the Russians try to manipulate the result they want in that election, the result will be to draw more young people into the arms of extremists and increase the forces of global terrorism?

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, we very much hope that elections will not bring about the result that my noble friend referred to. We recognise his great experience in the matter, as his work in the Council of Europe shows. The Government see the new Chechen presidential elections planned for August as a fresh opportunity to show commitment to democratic principles, to build up the political process and to aid efforts to bring stability to the republic. So we see those elections as a new opportunity, which I hope will be grasped.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, does the Minister agree with the findings of the Amnesty International report published last week that Russian security forces are continuing to rape, kill, torture and "disappear" civilians in Chechnya? If so, will she comment on the recommendations made by Amnesty International to the member states of the Council of Europe? Does she also agree that Russia is violating the December 1994 OSCE code of conduct on security? What measures will the Government take to bring that home to the Russian authorities?

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, we very much welcome Amnesty International's recent report and are aware of the very serious and appalling issues of human rights abuses it raises. On the noble Lord's point about bringing pressure to bear on Moscow, we have made very clear the UK's concerns over continuing reports of human rights abuses in Chechnya and North Caucasus; we have done so bilaterally, with the EU and of course through our colleagues on the Council of Europe. The FCO Minister, Bill Rammell, raised those concerns also with senior Russian officials during his visit in April.

The noble Lord raised the issue of the OSCE. I should like to tell him that we want to see a re-establishment of a permanent OSCE presence in Chechnya, but that will not be possible without the agreement of the Russian authorities, as he well knows.

Lord Rea

My Lords, owning to the length of the conflict—nearly 10 years—and the scale of the human rights abuses in Chechnya, should not this case be raised at the United Nations Security Council? I know that this is officially an internal Russian matter, but it has been going on for so long and the abuses have been so severe as to constitute an international cause of concern.

Baroness Crawley

My Lords, we have raised our concerns at the UN. Along with the European Union, we have raised Chechnya at the UN Commission on Human Rights. However, as my noble friend will know, at this year's Commission on Human Rights, Russia blocked our attempts to push for a resolution.

Lord Russell-Johnston

My Lords, does the Minister remember that, after the end of the first Chechen war, the Russians, as a commitment on entrance to the Council of Europe, promised to settle any future disagreements peacefully—a promise that they subsequently brutally ignored? With all respect to the Minister's claims that Her Majesty's Government have been vigorous in condemning human rights in Chechnya committed by the Russian Federation, they have been remarkably muted. Why is that? Is it because trade is more important than principle?

Baroness Crawley

No, my Lords, I disagree entirely with the noble Lord. We raise serious issues of human rights abuses in Chechnya with our Russian counterparts all the time at ministerial and senior official level. So I refute his accusation.