No Turning Back in Chechnya's Political Settlement

The Russian Government believes that Chechnya's political settlement has passed the point of no return and therefore widely contributes to the process, Russian Foreign Minster Igor Ivanov said at an Internet conference at the Renmin Ribao editorial office.

The forthcoming referendum on the Chechen Constitution followed by presidential and parliamentary elections will pave the way for political settlement in the republic, Ivanov believes.

At the same time, "we observe maximum transparency and are open to cooperation with international organizations," the minister stressed.

The OSCE, Council of Europe and CIS observers are to monitor the referendum, the head of the foreign affairs department reported.

"Of course, both terrorists operating in the republic and their patrons abroad are not happy about it," the minister noted. According to him, at present "bandit formations continue to commit random attacks, but Russian security agencies are working to clamp down on them." "Obviously, terrorists have lost their grip on the republic," Igor Ivanov stressed. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the Chechens "want peace and they will have their say at the forthcoming referendum."