ALVARO GIL-ROBLES SUPPORTS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO CUT DOWN TROOPS IN CHECHNYA AND TO STRUGGLE WITH REMAINING TERRORISTS








MOSCOW, March 3. /RIA Novosti correspondent/. During a meeting on Saturday between Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and the Council of Europe's High Commissioner for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles a frank exchange of views took place on matters within the remit of the Council of Europe Commissioner, in particular the situation in the Chechen Republic, says a news release from the Russian Foreign Ministry's press and information department received in RIA Novosti.


	As is indicated in the document, Alvaro Gil-Robles, who is completing his week-long working visit to Russia, told of his impressions from a trip to the North Caucasus and conversations with leaders of federal and local authorities.


	He noted that the situation in the Chechen Republic is gradually improving, including with regard to human rights. In particular, local bodies of power and judicial system are being restored, and prosecutor's structures are functioning more actively. 


	The work of the latter, Gil-Robles emphasised, has generated many myths, but with him members of the prosecutor's office, including of the military prosecutor's office, spoke frankly and very concretely. "To improve control over investigations of citizens' complaints and to inform public opinion of the results the Commissioner suggested setting up a joint working group from members of Vladimir Kalamanov's bureau and of the Prosecutor-General's Office of Russia. This idea was broadly supported," the document says.


	The Commissioner gave his full backing to a decision by the Russian President to cut down troops in Chechnya and to hand over to Russia's FSB coordinating functions in the struggle against the remnants of terrorists. The main problems, in his view, lie now in the sphere of social and economic rehabilitation of the republic and in returning the displaced persons. The Commissioner promised to help with the mobilisation of international support for the Russian government's efforts in this direction.


	Ivanov supported the Commissioner's initiatives on greater involvement of international humanitarian organisations in assisting the population of the Chechen Republic and on holding the second international seminar on democratic restoration of Chechnya within the Russian Federation and forming a civil society there.


	This undertaking, the news release says, could be participated in by foreign experts as well. It was stressed in this context that any negotiations with the terrorists were out of the question. 


	Ivanov described in detail the Russian government's steps towards political settlement in Chechnya and confirmed Russia's openness for cooperation with international organisations, which are in the mood to give real support to Russia. In this connection he mentioned Russia's readiness, as repeated many times before, to allow an OSCE support group to return to the region.


	The High Commissioner was handed a programme for the social and economic rehabilitation of the Chechen Republic, approved by the Russian government, and also given detailed information on the work of the Prosecutor-General's Office of Russia in the North Caucasian region.