FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Daniel A. Pellathy, Tel. 202.364.2466

The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC) today welcomed recent calls for peace talks by Chechen resistance leader Aslan Maskhadov and Ingush President Murat Zyazikov.

"For the second time in as many months, Maskhadov has called for peace talks with Moscow," said ACPC Executive Director Glen Howard. "It is encouraging to see that a member of the Russian political elite such as Zyazikov has come out in support of such negotiations."

In a July 6 interview, Maskhadov reiterated his desire to enter into peace talks with Moscow, addressing a major Russian concern by offering to secure the Federation's southern border. Days later, Ingush President Murat Zyazikov expressed his support for starting negotiations with the Chechen resistance. Zyazikov, a Major General within the Federal Security Service (FSB), further stated that responsibility for initiating such a dialogue lies exclusively with the Federal center.

"The lack of any serious negotiations between the Federal center and the resistance has been the primary obstacle to peace in Chechnya since the conflict began in 1999," Howard continued. "Despite numerous calls by the resistance for talks, the Kremlin has been unwilling to make moves toward peace."

In an effort to forcibly repatriate Chechen refugees in Ingushetia, Federal forces have been carrying out intensive operations in the republic for the last eight months. Widespread abuses, including arbitrary arrests, kidnappings, and extrajudicial executions helped fueled local resentment, which boiled over into fierce fighting last month.

"The war in Chechnya is threatening to destabilize the entire North Caucasus, as the fighting in Ingushetia dramatically illustrated. Zyazikov's statements suggest a realization of the fact that regional peace and stability depend on Moscow's willingness to negotiate with the Chechen resistance on ending the conflict," Howard concluded.

Founded in 1999, the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC) is a bipartisan coalition of distinguished Americans dedicated to promoting a peaceful end to the war in Chechnya.