April, 19, 2005

Umar Hanbiev's Speech in the United Nations

Chechenpress , the Department of the official information, 17.04.05.

Dear Mister President, ladies and gentlemen!

I, Umar Hanbiev, the Minister of Health of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria, speak on behalf of the Transnational Radical Party.

For the sixth year of the last Russo-Chechen war the situation in the region has become catastrophic. On the background of proceeding of arbitrary executions by the "squadrons of death”, politically motivated captures of hostages, abductions and complete disappearances of peace citizens of Ichkeria, the quantity of the Chechen refugees grows.

Today it is possible to speak about 300 thousand refugees, who are practically deprived of elementary human rights, both inside of the country, and out of it.

Independent legal organizations, such as "Human Rights Watch", "Memorial", and “The International Helsinki Group”, give figures of the peace people, kidnapped for the last years in the territory of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria: from 3000 up to 5000 people. Thus they recognize that only 20 % of the territory of the region is monitored; that is there can be more than 20 thousand of the kidnapped and completely disappeared people.

High-ranking officials from the United Nations repeatedly stated fair concern in this occasion, but the situation not only does not improve, but, on the contrary, worsens every day.

The Management of the Russian Federation does everything in order to drive refugees back to the zone of lawlessness and genocide, which the Chechen land, occupied by Russian gangs, is today.

Dear Mister President! The demonstrative murder by the “squadrons of death” of the legitimate, nationally elected President Aslan Mashadov on the 8 th of March, the person, who persistently offered peace, and blasphemous mockery at his corpse has created an explosive situation in the region.

We hope very much, that the new Chechen President - Aslan Mashadov's successor Abdul-Halim Sadulaev, who has declared his adherence to political settlement of the Russo-Chechen conflict, will manage to keep the situation under the control.

We also hope that the new Chechen leader will be supported by the world community, including the United Nations, in his aspiration for peace.

We welcome the decision of the Supreme commissioner of the United Nations of human rights Madam Louise Arbur to visit the Northern Caucasus including the Chechen Republic Ichkeria, and we hope, that it will structurally influence on the situation in the zone of the conflict for the true choice of the United Nations of the ways to stop the war and it will bring stability to the whole region.

Dear Mister President! As we are convinced within long six years of the present war, only the end of bloodshed and political negotiations are able to stop infringements of human rights and to solve the huge problems connected with the refugees.

Dear Mister President, ladies and gentlemen! Let me use the remained seconds of my speech to call you, people of good will, who are present in this hall, to honor the memory of the President of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria Aslan Mashadov, killed at the moment, when he was standing courageously with his hand, stretched to the enemy, calling him for peace, having stopped the war unilaterally, as a noble and strong spirit leader.

I call you to honor his memory and memory of all innocent victims of this criminal war with standing. I assure you, they are worthy of your attention!

Thank you!

P. S.

To our huge regret, there were very few people of good will among the present in the hall of the United Nations, who expressed desire to honor the memory of hundreds thousands of innocent victims of the Russo-Chechen war including the President of the CRI Aslan Mashadov, who was lost from hands of the Russian special services. It was strange to see a sitting Turk or an Arab, when near to them an Italian or a Frenchman was standing.

I do not wish to be a judge to them, in fact, the morals is not a legal category, but a spiritual quality, with which each person is guided, that is a rule of behavior of a person in this or that situation.

In this case the result is important, which has revealed, that there are very few people of good will sitting today in the halls of the United Nations. Meanwhile, this sinful world is kept by them.

We are sincerely grateful to these courageous people of principle!

19.04.05

http://chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2005/04/19/02.shtml