MOSCOW,
December 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Russia's parliament on
Tuesday, December 24, condemned round-up operations conducted by Russian
federal forces in Chechnya, in a rare move criticizing sweeps against
suspected resistance fighters in the southern republic.
In
a resolution adopted almost unanimously, the State Duma, Russia's lower
house of parliament, appealed to President Vladimir Putin to devise and
pursue a plan to find a political solution to the conflict in Chechnya,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The
lawmakers also called on Putin to "continue with the withdrawal of
excess troops" from the southern republic.
The
mopping-up operations "have ceased being a useful instrument,"
said the resolution which was supported by 360 legislators and opposed
by only two.
"Large-scale
special operations have had few results," stressed the Russian
parliamentarians.
Mopping-up
operations involve Russian troops restricting travel to and from Chechen
villages as they conduct armed house-to-house searches for suspected
independence fighters that usually lead to mass arrests.
The
legislators said the operations were one reason why the situation in
Chechnya was not returning to normal.
"The
situation in Chechnya remains complicated," they said in their
resolution, adding that they most regretted "the deaths of
civilians, and the great losses among soldiers" from the Russian
army and interior ministry.
Official
government figures released earlier this month put the number of
soldiers killed in Chechnya since October 1999 at 4,705.
However,
human rights groups such as the Soldiers' Mothers Committee have said
that the true toll could be three to four times higher, noting that
soldiers who die from wounds in hospitals outside the war zone are not
counted in the official toll.
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Russian human rights
violations in Chechnya drew international criticism
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The
Chechen cause has received renewed worldwide attention since a group of
Chechen fighters took the audience of a Moscow theater hostage in late
October, demanding the withdrawal of Russian occupation forces from
their republic.
Human
rights groups, international organizations and Western capitals have
long accused Russian troops -- armed with Kremlin approval -- of
carrying out widespread human rights abuses in Chechnya.
The
rare criticism of Russian federal action in Chechnya came just days
after Putin appointed a new top general to the region.
The
new man, General Vladimir Boldyrev, has promised to change the style of
military operations in Chechnya.
Analysts
said that the Kremlin's decision to replace General Gennady Troshev with
Boldyrev signaled a change of military approach in Chechnya, with the
focus shifting to targeted special operations from the broad offensive
that is currently under way.
Also
Tuesday, Chechnya's new Interior Minister Ruslan Taskayev said that
every member of the republic's police force was being checked to ensure
he had not been cooperating with independence fighters.
"All
Chechen police officers have been taken off staff and are now undergoing
a comprehensive recertification," Ruslan Tsakayev told the
ITAR-TASS news agency, adding that five policemen had been arrested in
the past month for cooperating with independence fighters.
Tsakayev
also said he had issued an order "to open fire to kill
rebels," who he said had recently increased attacks against the
pro-Russian police, whom the independence fighters consider traitors.
