HC Deb 13 March 1995 vol 256 cc375-6W
Mr. Galbraith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian Government concerning the war in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns with the Russian Prime Minister in London on 2 March.

My right hon. Friend told him that Chechnya had been a setback to Russia's relations with the west, stressed the importance of ending the fighting and reaching a negotiated settlement and urged the Russians to guarantee free access for humanitarian aid.

Mr. Elletson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the Russian Government of the campaign in Chechnya; what assessment he has made of the estimate of the economist Andrei Illarionov; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

It is very difficult to make an accurate estimate of the costs of the Chechnya campaign.

We are aware of Illarionov's estimate of $5 billion. It is one of a number of widely varying estimates and is based on extrapolation from a limited amount of data.

Mr. Elletson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the Russian Defence Minister General Pavel Grachev's call for a new offensive in Chechnya.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

We continue to urge the Russians to end the fighting in Chechnya and pursue a negotiated settlement. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made these points most recently when he saw the Russian Prime Minister on 2 March.

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