The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Chechnya and in particular its resolution of 18 November 1999(1) ,

-  having regard to its assent of 30 November 1995 to the conclusion of an Agreement on Partnership and Co-operation between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Russian Federation, of the other part(2) , its assent of 11 June 1997 to the conclusion of the Protocol to the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and the Russian Federation(3) and to the Common Strategy of the European Union on Russia, adopted by the Council in June 1999,

-  having regard to the EU Council Presidency's fact-finding mission to Ingushetia on 30 October 1999,

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

-  having regard to the OSCE Istanbul Summit Declaration,

-  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 further escalation of the armed conflict in Chechnya and in particular the increasing number of victims among the civilian population as well as the ever worsening situation of the civilian population still remaining in Chechnya,

B.  outraged at the intense bombardments of Chechen villages and cities and the unacceptable ultimatum given by the Russian military to all remaining civilians in Grozny who are mainly children, disabled and elderly people, who have neither the means nor the strength to leave the city,

C.  having regard to the important role of the Russian Federation in geostrategic stability and security far beyond the region,

D.  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,

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

F.  considering that the war in Chechnya is seriously endangering democracy and the rule of law in the Russian Federation, as it is already heavily influencing the electoral campaign for the elections to the Duma,

1.  Strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military action against civilians in Chechnya and in particular the ultimatum directed against the thousands of remaining inhabitants of Grozny, treating them as hostages;

2.  Expects Russia to honour its commitments under international law, to call for an immediate cease-fire, to stop immediately any further military action and withdraw the ultimatum, to facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, to search for a negotiated 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;

3.  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;

4.  Expresses its firm belief that the present campaign and the unacceptable threat to the people of Grozny can only perpetuate, and not break, the cycle of violence in the Caucasus region;

5.  Welcomes the proposal by the Council to transfer funds from Tacis to humanitarian assistance and invites the Council and the Commission to make the necessary financial proposal and to check upon the viability and absorption capacity in the neighbouring regions and Georgia;

6.  Welcomes the suspension of some of the provisions of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement;

7.  Urges the Commission and the Council to maintain the political dialogue with the Russian Federation and welcomes the planned meeting between EU High Representative Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov;

8.  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 or to consider the review of the status of Russia in these organisations;

9.  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 prevention forum to solve the problems of the region;

10.  Invites its ad-hoc delegation monitoring the elections to the Duma on 19 December 1999 to take this opportunity to use its influence with the Russian authorities and in particular the Duma parliamentarians to contribute to a swift political solution of the conflict and to convey the message that Russia's current way of dealing with the Chechen problem is unacceptable to any democratic country;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Russian State Duma and the Federal Council and the authorities in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

(1) Texts adopted of that sitting, item 15. (2) OJ C 339, 18.12.1995, p. 45. (3) OJ C 200, 30.6.1997, p. 66.