In Chechnya Pace Representative Discusses Forced Migrants' Problems

On Monday night a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe led by Tadeusz Iwinski, chairman of the PACE migration and refugee committee, arrived in the Chechen capital, Grozny. With him arrived also deputies of the State Duma (the lower chamber of Russian parliament). Tadeusz Iwinski told reporters that the goal of his visit is study of the situation in tent camps and return of forced migrants to places of their permanent residence. Iwinski had visited Chechnya in the end of 2000. The delegation inspected tent camps in the Chechen territory. Iwinski observed that "people are more favourably inclined to the leadership and the federal center". Tadeusz Iwinski also said that the situation in Grozny now is much quieter than at a time of his previous visit. In Grozny for the discussion of problems of forced migrants have arrived also Vladimir Troshev, commander of the North Caucasian military district, Anatoli Yezhkov, chief of the regional operative headquarters for conduct of an antiterrorist operation, Vladimir Moltenski, commander of the United Group of Troops in Chechnya, and representatives of the Russian presidents' envoy in the Southern federal district. Tadeusz Iwinski will table describe results of his trip at the January 21-25 winter session of PACE. It will analyse the human rights situation in that region.