Chechen political and business figures call to accelerate constitutional process in republic

A number of Chechen political, religious and business figures addressed the people of Chechnya, stating the importance of accelerating the constitutional process in the republic.

"We, as well as the whole people of the Chechen Republic, are going through the troubles and privations that fell to the lot of the long-suffering Chechen soil," reads the document whose text RIA Novosti received on Friday. "Today we have the right to demand an end to terror, murders, kidnappings, outrages and humiliation of our nationals. The last drop that made the cup run over was the monstrous crime committed by terrorists - the hostage taking in Moscow that entailed the death of innocent people." All those behind this misanthropic act are cynically provoking the aggravation of the already hard situation in the Chechen Republic, substituting for the process of its people's self-determination the egotistic interests of a group of persons who plunged us into the catastrophe, says the statement.

"One can endlessly speak on our sufferings and irreparable losses, but the only way to end the tragedy is to join hands in the name of national accord," the document points out.

The statement's authors emphasize that in the conditions when there is no Constitution of the Chechen Republic, based upon the conventional principles and norms of law and adopted at a national referendum, "organization of a large-scale constitutional process is a vitally important task." The referendum on the Constitution of Chechnya should put a period to the struggle of the Chechen people for its rights. "Here lies the key to the way out of the vicious circle of senseless bloodshed," the document notes.

"We consider it an urgent necessity to immediately launch a large-scale political process aimed at achieving national accord, returning to peaceful life the people involved under different objective circumstances in an armed confrontation," the statement says further. "We are convinced that peace can be reached only by means of accelerating the constitutional process, which must result in a voting for the constitution of our republic at a free referendum and the election of authority bodies, accountable to the people. An overall discussion of the Fundamental Law of the Republic must precede its adoption." A specific situation that exists in the republic "must be reflected in an agreement, whose possibility is envisaged by the Constitution of the Russian Federation," the authors of the statement think. "Such an agreement must be concluded by the authorities elected on the basis of the Chechen Republic's Constitution," they say.

"We hope to be heard by the proud sons and daughters of the Chechen people," the document stresses. "We also address the Russian President, asking him to do his best to accelerate the constitutional process in the Chechen Republic." "Our destiny is in our hands," the statement authors emphasize, calling upon "all patriots, regardless of their political views, to withdraw their personal ambitions, forget the offenses and entrust the people of the Chechen Republic with determining our common fate." Among those who signed the statement are State Duma deputy from Chechnya Aslambek Aslakhanov, Musa Bazhayev, president of OAO "Gruppa Allyans", Lema Kasayev, head of the Mir company, Malik Saidullayev, chairman of the board of directors of OAO "Concern Milan" etc.