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OSCE Chairman-in-Office expresses distress about violence in Chechnya
THE HAGUE 15 May 2003
THE HAGUE, 15 May 2003 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO), Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has today written to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igor Ivanov, to convey his distress about the recent acts of violence in the Russian Republic of Chechnya and to offer his sincere condolences for the innocent loss of life as a result of two consecutive suicide attacks.
"News of the two recent suicide bombings in Chechnya, which caused many civilian deaths and great havoc, shocked and distressed me", he wrote in his letter, adding that the events showed the complexity of the problems in Chechnya.
The OSCE CiO expressed his sincere hope that these acts of terror would not derail the renewed efforts to restore peace and stability in Chechnya. He added that the OSCE was prepared to make helpful contributions, as recently agreed between the Russian authorities and the OSCE Chairmanship.
"News of the two recent suicide bombings in Chechnya, which caused many civilian deaths and great havoc, shocked and distressed me", he wrote in his letter, adding that the events showed the complexity of the problems in Chechnya.
The OSCE CiO expressed his sincere hope that these acts of terror would not derail the renewed efforts to restore peace and stability in Chechnya. He added that the OSCE was prepared to make helpful contributions, as recently agreed between the Russian authorities and the OSCE Chairmanship.