Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-20-Speech-4-110"
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"en.20000120.7.4-110"2
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"Mr President, the Commission remains fundamentally committed to a long-term partnership with Russia, based on the partnership and cooperation agreement and on a common strategy, with a view to strengthening security and stability in Europe, in the widest context. Therefore, in accordance with the clear position adopted by the Parliament, the Commission feels that it would be a mistake to sever all channels of communication. We should, in particular, be able to discuss with the Russians our extreme disapproval and our serious concerns about the situation in Chechnya.
The European Council in Helsinki sent a very clear message on the critical situation of the civilian population there and the need for Russia to respect the rules of humanitarian law, particularly in the context of the ultimatum sent to the inhabitants of Grozny, the excessive use of violence and the indiscriminate use of force against the civilian population, the obstacles to the safe and rapid provision of humanitarian aid by the aid agencies and the lack of real political dialogue with the legitimate Chechen authorities.
The situation has not improved since the Helsinki Summit. Although the ultimatum sent to the population of Grozny was not carried out, we are still extremely concerned about the distress of the civilian population and especially of the people trapped in Grozny. The conditions under which humanitarian operations are being carried out remain difficult. No end is in sight as far as the military conflict is concerned in view of the fact that the Russian forces are coming up against quite strong resistance. The acting president, Putin, now speaks of a sustained operation. There are increasing fears that the neighbouring state of Georgia will be affected by the instability.
The presidency and the Commission are actively involved in implementing the conclusions of the European Council in Helsinki, that is to say, re-examining the implementation of the common strategy, suspending certain provisions of the cooperation agreement and applying strictly the commercial provisions, envisaging the transfer of TACIS funds to humanitarian aid and reducing TACIS 2000 to a basic programme with limited scope. These matters will be discussed next Monday by the foreign ministers at the meeting of the General Affairs Council. It is clear that we cannot anticipate the results at the moment, but I will ensure that my fellow Commissioner, Mr Chris Patten, is informed about the points raised during this debate so that he can pass them on to the Council.
Finally, I should like to stress that the Helsinki declaration has already been implemented in the form of specific measures that take particular account of the views of the Parliament, that is, postponement of the signing of the science and technology agreement and the strict application of the commercial provisions, starting with measures in the steel sector against the export tax on non-ferrous scrap. Furthermore, the Commission has decided not to call on the budgetary authority to carry over the appropriations from the food aid programme to Russia that were not used last year."@en1
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