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Interview with Pascal Mangin: Peace and democracy in Chechnya have still to be forged

In the wake of the presidential election in Chechnya, a delegation sent to investigate by the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which was present at the time of the ballot, reports on the climate on the spot. According to Pascal Mangin, Congress member, the solution cannot come solely from on high.

Interview (01.09.2004)

Question: Pascal Mangin, you are deputy to the Mayor of Strasbourg and, in that capacity, a member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. You were in Chechnya, along with members of the Parliamentary Assembly, on 29 August, when the presidential election was being held. What can you say about the ballot?

Pascal Mangin: First of all, I must make it clear that neither the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities nor the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly was on an election observation mission, for the Council of Europe considered that the conditions required for such a mission were not fulfilled. In particular, political circumstances and the restrictions on our freedom of movement made it impossible to engage in a traditional observation mission. Our task was therefore merely to observe the facts and meet both political leaders and local inhabitants and displaced persons who had returned to Chechnya.

Elections did, however, take place while we were there. We were able to visit two polling stations in Grozny but we don't have enough information to express an opinion on the ballot. Other international organisations - the Arab League and the Islamic Conference - observed the elections and considered that the conditions under which the ballot took place were satisfactory. We have no means of confirming or contradicting this assessment.

Question: How did the situation strike you in so far as you were able to observe it?

Pascal Mangin:As far as the ballot was concerned, although there were substantial security measures surrounding our movements, the vote seemed to me to have taken place under more satisfactory conditions than was the case in October 2003, at least in terms of security. We noted only one serious incident on Sunday: a young man turned up very early in front of a polling station and blew himself up. But Grozny seemed largely deserted on Sunday: the inhabitants appeared to have left for fear of incidents. By Monday there were far more people and far more traffic in town.

On a more general note, the scale of the security measures in the region can only suggest that peace has not yet been restored and the situation is not yet back to normal.

We met both the most senior authorities, in the person of Alu Alkhanov, the new President elected on Sunday, and refugees who had returned from neighbouring republics. The former assured us of the authorities' desire for a peaceful settlement. On Monday Alu Alkhanov told us that there would be an amnesty for independence fighters who offered their support and that they would be rehabilitated. The returning refugees said they hoped to retrieve their homes and their possessions and to return to normal life, rebuild their homes, and work or study in peace.

Question: What can the Council of Europe do in this situation?

Pascal Mangin: The situation is very complex. We were clearly aware of the differences between those who are prepared to negotiate and those who refuse all discussion. We made the point to all of them that the crisis can't be settled solely from on high. An election is not enough. Peace and democracy have still to be forged. In the meantime the situation is very precarious. A process must be set in motion if peace and democracy are to be achieved, and we are willing to help. We got this message across very well. There’s no war in Chechnya today, but there’s no peace either.