The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its resolutions on the situation in Chechnya of 18 November 1999(1) and 16 December 1999(2) ,

-  having regard to its assent of 30 November 1995 to the conclusion of an Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part(3) , its assent of 11 June 1997 to the conclusion of the Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and the Russian Federation(4) and the Common Strategy of the European Union on Russia adopted by the Council on 4 June 1999(5) ,

-  having regard to the declaration of the European Council in Helsinki of 10 December 1999,

-  having regard to its decision to postpone its opinion on the Agreement with Russia on Cooperation in the areas of Science and Technology, given the events in Chechnya,

A.  deeply concerned by the continued escalation of the armed conflict in Chechnya and in particular the increasing number of victims among the civilian population and among soldiers of the Russian Army, as well as the ever-worsening situation of the civilian population still remaining in Chechnya, especially those in Grozny, numbering several thousands,

B.  alarmed about reports on the Russian federal forces' abuses against the civilian population, such as beatings of refugees along exit routes, destruction and looting of houses, summary executions and arbitrary detention of male Chechen refugees aged between ten and sixty in so-called "filtration camps”,

C.  deeply concerned about the situation of Chechen displaced persons pressurised by camp authorities in Ingushetia into returning to their homes by depriving them of food rations,

D.  concerned that international relief agencies have still no safe access to the area even though Russia committed itself to facilitating such access during the OSCE summit,

E.  noting Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov's repeated calls on Moscow to seek a political solution of the conflict,

F.  recalling that at the OSCE summit in Istanbul in November1999, Russia accepted that a political solution to the conflict is essential and welcomed the willingness of the OSCE to assist in the renewal of a political dialogue,

G.  considering that the lack of independent information on the situation in Chechnya is seriously endangering democracy and the rule of law in the Russian Federation, whereas many international monitors and media representatives are denied access to the region,

H.  stressing the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and its right to fight terrorism whilst recalling at the same time the obligations of the Russian Federation, not only under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement but also as a member of the UN Security Council, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, to respect democratic values and human rights,

I.  stunned at the sentencing of mathematician Dimitrii Neverovskii to two years of imprisonment for having objected against the war in Chechnya, as allowed by the Russian Constitution,

1.  Calls upon the Russian and Chechen authorities to do everything in their power to allow the citizens of Grozny to leave the city safely and in dignity;

2.  Condemns the decision of the Russian authorities to bar any men of combat age from entering or leaving Chechnya as a violation of international codes of conduct and stresses that the separation of children from their families does not count as part of the fight against terrorism;

3.  Calls upon the Russian government to order an immediate ceasefire, to honour its commitments under international law, to facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the region and to find a political solution to the conflict, whilst starting a dialogue with the elected representatives of Chechnya; notes that Russia has to respect international law and democratic values if she wants to be recognised as a full and respected member of the international community;

4.  Strongly condemns Chechen fighters threatening and endangering the lives of civilians and calls on the Chechen authorities to respect the rules and principles of humanitarian law, to condemn terrorism, to prevent terrorist activities, and to contribute to the liberation of all remaining hostages and to a negotiated peaceful solution of the conflict;

5.  Urges the Commission and the Council to implement the Helsinki European Council's decision to transfer funds from Tacis to humanitarian assistance as well as to consider the transfers of Tacis to reconstruction aid for the North Caucasian region and other appropriate measures;

6.  Calls on the Russian Government to allow the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the OSCE to establish long-term posts at checkpoints to monitor the conduct of checkpoint police towards Chechen refugees as well as to allow them to visit the detention camps for male Chechen refugees and urges the Council to promote the observation of the checkpoints by means of the Missions of the Member States in Moscow so as to obtain information on the delivery of humanitarian assistance;

7.  Calls on other international organisations, and in particular the IMF, to use the means at their disposal to contribute to a peaceful solution of the crisis and in particular urges the OSCE and the Council of Europe to urge Russia to honour the obligations linked to its membership;

8.  Repeats its proposal to organise jointly with the OSCE a Caucasus Stability Conference for all parties concerned in order to contribute to the creation of a conflict forum to solve the problems of the region;

9.  Calls on the Russian authorities to review urgently the case of Dimitrii Neverovskii in the light of the Russian Constitution;

10.  Urges the Commission and the Council to maintain the political dialogue with the Russian Federation;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the OSCE, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the IMF, the Council of Europe, the President, government and parliament of the Russian Federation and the authorities of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

(1) "Texts Adopted” of that sitting, Item 15. (2) "Texts Adopted” of that sitting, Item 23. (3) OJ C 339, 18.12.1995, p. 45. (4) OJ C 200, 30.6.1997, p. 66. (5) OJ L 157, 24.6.1999, p. 1.