The Federation Council Might Institute the State of Emergency

Medecines Sans Frontieres  President conducts negotiations

The hostage-taking act of terrorism in Moscow made the Federation Council hold an urgent session on October 24. It was decided to make the session closed for the press. The chairman of the Federation Council, Sergey Mironov, prohibited the senators  to leave the territory of the Russian capital. He explained it by saying that the senators  would have to hold more sessions in the nearest future. One could assume that  it was ordered so due to a possibility to institute  the state of emergency in Moscow. This is the competence  of the Federation Council, according to the Constitution.

The main result of October 24th was the address to the parliamentarians of the world. The senators denounced  the unprecedented act of terrorism in Moscow. Sergey Mironov virtually accused several European countries of the use of double standards against Russia. Mironov was implying the  world congress of Chechens in Denmark, which would gather a lot of extremists.

Deputy chairman of the Federation Council, Alexander Torshin, offered to conduct the inventory of the entire military arsenal in the military units. This was offered in order to set up the strict control over the arms traffic in the country.  The head of the Federation Council’s committee for  security and  defense issues,  Viktor Ozerov,  told journalists that the Council was in a close contact  with the law-enforcement bodies, particularly with  the Russian Security Council and its departments.

As it became known, the special services have the stun photographs  of the majority of terrorists,  who had taken hundreds of hostages in Moscow. As  RIA Novosti correspondent informed, this was said by spokesman for the emergency  headquarters, Sergey Ignatchenko.  He also pointed  out that  there was the exact number of terrorists specified.  Yet, he did not say, how many of them exactly. Ignatchenko stated that the headquarters knew, the citizens of which countries were taken hostages in the Moscow music theatre.

The President of the international organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), Jean-Herve Bradol, has arrived in Moscow. He is currently staying at the special headquarters, according to RIA Novosti.  One of terrorists’ requirements included the presence of someone from Medecins Sans Frontieres. The president of the organization  left for Moscow after that requirement was announced. Another senior representative of this international organization is expected to come to Moscow  today as well.

As it was stressed by the Moscow division of the organization,  Doctors Without Borders are still ready  to render the necessary medical and other humanitarian aid  to the hostages in compliance with the competence of the organization.

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov