CANDIDATE FOR THE SUPREME STATE POST SHOULD EXPRESS HIS OPINION ON THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR OUR COUNTRY - PROBLEM OF THE TERMINATION OF THE WAR IN CHECHNYA

Open letter to Irina Khakamada

Moscow, January 21, 2004

Dear Irina!

Seven and a half years ago, in June of 1996, you spoke from the tribune of the First congress of our Antimilitarist Radical Association which took place in the Moscow hotel "Molodezhnaya". The congress discussed the rights of conscientious objectors and their right to the alternative civilian service, necessity of abolition of conscription slavery in our country and transition to professional army, and, first of all, the war in Chechnya.

Today this war which took (by different estimations) from 100 up to 200 thousand peaceful civilians proceeds. As in terrible 1937, in today's Chechnya "cleansings" proceed, in the course of which thousands of people completely disappear, arbitrary executions proceed. Every day there come news about new Russian soldiers and militiamen killed in Chechnya. And the newest, the most terrible and, alas, the most natural thing is that the terror isn't limited to Chechnya anymore, it has come to our cities, to our streets. You are right, we still should find out who actually is behind the capture of hostages on Dubrovka, who is behind the terrorist acts of the autumn of 1999 in Moscow, Volgodonsk and Ryazan, and behind the provocative campaign of Basayev in Dagestan.

I and my comrades are admired with your civic courage expressed in the way you began your election campaign: I mean your appeal published on January 13 in "Commersant". For this reason, exactly after that your appeal and following press conference, we formally took the decision to support you as the candidate at presidential elections, having adopted a special resolution in support of your nomination at the General Assembly of Russian Radicals on January 17, where we also took the decision on the creation of the new political association: the Liberal and libertarian movement "Russian Radicals". For the moment we are several dozens of people who live almost exclusively in Moscow, so our newborn movement hardly can render you any essential technical assistance in the collection of signatures. However, it seems to me, the moral and political support won't be unnecessary too, especially in conditions of fierce attacks from the side of not only your political opponents, but also of your friends-enemies from the democratic, liberal, political camp? Anyway, the fact remains the fact: as far as I know, the "Russian Radicals" became the first Russian political association which formally took the decision to support you as the candidate for the post of the President.

As I have already told, it is difficult to overestimate your determination to expose the true role of the president Putin and of his special services in all aspects connected to the terror, to the "Chechen" terror (whether it is the so-called or not). However, I am sure of the other thing too: that the candidate for the supreme state post should express his opinion on the most serious problem for our country - the problem of the termination of the war in Chechnya. All the spectrum of offered political decisions in this connection till now has been reduced to the alternative: either to continue "to snuff out the terrorists in the john" (and in the fact - mainly innocent Russian citizens are "snuffed out" according to the principle "you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs"), simulating the political process in the republic, giving carte blanche "to our son of a bitch" Kadyrov - or to capitulate in this or that form, to leave Chechnya having repeated Khasavyurt-96 and having left after us a political vacuum in the republic which very soon would turn out a chaos with all already known consequences for inhabitants of this republic.

There is, however, also the third decision, it has been set forth in the so-called "Akhmadov's peace plan" (named after the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria Ilyas Akhmadov). This plan proposes establishment in Chechnya of an interim administration of the United Nations, transfer of all authority in the republic to this administration and simultaneous disarmament of all Chechen formations and withdrawal from Chechnya of all Russian forces and civil administration. As a matter of fact, it is a model of interim international protectorate which has been already successfully tested by the international community in Kosovo and in East Timor.

I, know, you and your colleagues of URF repeatedly supported peace talks with the president Maskhadov and his government. Today, however, I am convinced that it is absolutely insufficient to call on simply for negotiations. It is necessary to say at the top of our voice what should be the purpose of such negotiations. And their purpose should be not only the termination in the republic of hostilities and of military-KGB unrestricted arbitrariness, and even not simply the withdrawal of the Russian troops, but much more ambitious and noble task: security of peace, freedom and democracy for all inhabitants of Chechnya. This task can be achieved only by the international community.

For this reason, Irina, I call on you to study attentively "Akhmadov's peace plan" (it is available, in particular, on the site www.chechnya-mfa.info) and to express publicly your opinion concerning the proposal about an interim UN administration for Chechnya. If you agree with this proposal, I ask you to join the international appeal "For an interim UN administration in Chechnya", the Transnational Radical Party collects signatures under this appeal on its site in the Internet www.radicalparty.org (and also on the site www.radikaly.ru), it has been already signed by more than fourteen and a half thousand citizens from 94 countries of the world, including hundreds of deputies of the European, national and regional parliaments. Among signatories of this appeal are also well known names of the Russian political, public and cultural figures: chairman of Andrey Sakharov Foundation Elena Bonner, president of the Institute of human rights Sergey Kovalev, chairman of the Moscow Helsinki group Lyudmila Alekseyeva, head of the committee "Civil assistance" Svetlana Gannushkina, director of the Center of strategic researches Andrey Piontkovsky, editor-in-chief of the edition Grani.ru Vladimir Korsunsky, musician Alexey Kortnev (group "Neschastny Sluchay"), historian, writer and priest Yakov Krotov, member of the Coordinating council of the Union of committees of soldier's mothers of Russia professor Ida Kuklina, director of A.D.Sakharov Center Yury Samodurov and many others.

I hope, you will not disregard my appeal and respond to this letter.

With respect and admiration,

Nikolaj Khramov,
secretary of the movement "Russian Radicals"