A revelation of the truth or just good Russian PR?

The conclusions reached by the PACE delegation to the Northern Caucasus will be a major set back for those in the West pressing for sanctions against Russia. It seems that the delegation has grasped the complexities of the situation, and at the same time, formed a very negative opinion of the Maskhadov. Lord Russell-Johnston announced that, having visited the Northern Caucasus, the PACE delegation has changed its view of the situation in Chechnya. The chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said on Thursday that the meetings in Moscow and in the Northern Caucasus helped the members of the delegation to better understand the position of the Russian leadership_s search for a solution to the Chechen problem. Lord Russell-Johnston, said that it is now clear to the delegation that Maskhadov_s regime has many ugly features crime, drug addiction, kidnapping and healthcare and education are not being financed. The situation is further aggravated by the lack of law enforcement and occasional public executions. All this makes it perfectly clear that the current regime cannot be tolerated. The head of the PACE delegation added that Maskhadov cannot be allowed to continue ruling the republic in this manner. The Russian leadership must take measures in order to change the situation in the region. Lord Russell-Johnston also said that there are some people who think that negotiations might still bring peace to the Northern Caucasus. But he himself did not mention anyone with whom such talks would be possible, explaining that his visit to the Northern Caucasus was too short and it was hard to find such a man in so little time. The head of the PACE delegation thinks that it would be useful to have international observers present, say, in Ingushetia and in different regions of Chechen, to monitor the human rights situation. He added that this should be also done due to the accusation by the Russian government of some the media organizations of distorting facts about human rights violations. Referring to the announcement that he made upon -arrival to Russia, which was interpreted by some as an ultimatum to Russia, lord Russell-Johnston said that he could not comment on the issue of suspending Russia_s membership to the European Council, as nothing specific had been discussed on the matter.