US State Department claims on falsifications are groundless

The Russian Foreign Ministry called "groundless" the statements that the results of elections in Chechnya had been falsified. The statements were published in the US State Department's Report on the global human rights situation for 2003.

These statements can only be called groundless, RIA Novosti was told at the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

First, Foreign Ministry spokesmen reminded that international observers who had been attended the elections in Chechnya had affirmed their free and fair character.

Second, one should be reminded that more than 95% of the Chechen Republic's population had supported political settlement at the referendum carried out before the elections.

"At the same time it is certainly surprising that Chechen terrorists are called "rebels" in the report, which also contains statements about filtration camps that do not exist in Chechnya" - representatives of the Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department said.