A DEMONSTRATION outside the Russian Embassy in Brussels last week delivered the following appeal from the Belgian workers' and socialist movement against the military intervention into Chechnya.
The appeal was published in Rood, the Dutch-language fortnightly of the Workers' Socialist Party, Belgian section of the Fourth International. The translation is by Duncan Chapel. THE WAR in Chechnya is a war against the Chechen people. "The fight against the mafia is just a pretext. The opposition by the militias enjoys obvious and great legitimacy with the people.
The population possesses a strong national consciousness against an opponent that is better equipped. Whatever our opinion of the national consciousness, the methods used by Moscow are unacceptable:
We are concerned by the rise of a strong power in Russia. The manner by which the intervention was announced, the rising of a strong Great-Russian chauvinism, and the measures against the freedom of the press are alarming symptoms.
We condemn the Western complicity with Moscow. Their hypocrisy is unacceptable -while they call for the right of the peoples of Slovakia and Croatia to self-determination, they consider that the war in Chechnya is an internal matter for Russia. With formalistic arguments, they are coming to tolerate the developing bloodbath.
We must, therefore, remember that Chechnya was forcibly annexed by Russia under the Tsar in 1859 after 25 years of colonial war, and that a majority of the Chechens were deported between 1944 and 1957.
We consequently demand the immediate and unconditiona withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya.
There must be a peaceful solution to the conflict which respects human rights and the rights of the Chechen people.
Signatories include: François Vercammen (United Secretariat of the Fourth International); Jacky Morael, Isabelle Durant and Dany Josse (Federal Secretariat, Belgian Green party); Pierre Beauois (Chair, Belgian Communist Party); Pierre Galand (Oxfam); Elisabeth Marian (author); Anke Hintjens (Committee for the Cancelation of the Third World Debt); Nadine Peeters (Antwerp Municipal Councillor, Movement for Social Renewal); Pauline Cornille (Assembly of Women for Peace); Nelly Maes, Willy Kuypers and Germain Dufaour (members of Senate); Hugo Ongena, Louis Steenwagen and Jan De Corte (members of Parliament); Magda Aelvoet (MEP).
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No.77. 11 February 1995, Page 10