The Ingush parliament has sent an appeal to North Ossetia-Alania expressing alarm at recent events in the region and stating that there are some forces who are playing political games, trying to make capital out of the suffering of others and inciting a new conflict in the North Caucasus region. The authors of the appeal argue that only mutual respect, tolerance and cooperation between parliaments and peoples can resolve the situation. The following is the text of the appeal carried on the Ingushetia.ru web site on 12 October; subheadings have been inserted editorially:
An appeal of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Ingushetia to the parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania.
Alarm at recent events in Caucasus
We, the deputies of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Ingushetia, are profoundly concerned at the turn of events in the region and in Russia recently. The increasing activity of forces who have a vested interest in a destabilization of the situation in the Caucasus cannot fail to be noted. The ideological squabbles around the recent tragedy in Beslan have become open and provocative, and the flow of reports of an openly anti-Ingush tone is of particular concern. Instead of making a restrained and balance appraisal of the tragic events which have occurred in the Russian Federation and trying to work out proper measures to confront terrorism, statesmen and politicians of various levels, as well as journalists, have started talking about the inevitability of a new war between the neighbouring peoples, the retribution of Ossetians against the Ingush, and so on.
It is not only fear for the lives of our own fellow-citizens that has motivated our appeal. It is far more complex than that. Unfortunately, there are forces who would like to set the peoples of the North Caucasus against one another and turn the complex socio-political processes here backwards. Among those who are inciting us towards a new conflict are corrupt politicians, contracted representatives of the media and those who are simply accustomed to making a career and money out of the blood of innocent people. The events of the last few months show clearly that forces with various aims and interests have banded together in the Caucasus.
Some have wanted to use people's tragedy to kindle a still undefined Ossetian-Ingush conflict, others have taken advantage of the dramatic situation in their struggle for power in the republics, and still others are hoping to realize their geopolitical interests in the Caucasus and in Russia as a whole.
Political games and incitement to conflict
Naturally, in view of all of this, we have questions for our colleagues in the parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, answers to which can probably be found more quickly by joint efforts. First, we understand and feel the whole gravity of the tragedy in Beslan. The Ingush people, as everyone knows, have been subjected to a monstrous attack by extremists which has led to considerable loss of life and suffering. Although those who attacked Ingushetia included representatives of various ethnic groups, we have made no accusations against other peoples for what happened in our republic on 21-22 June 2004.
Do you not believe that the Ossetians and the Ingush found themselves in the path of essentially the same criminal groups? Can we not see here the actions of certain individuals and organizations whose intention it is to spread fear in the hearts of people? Do you not believe that those who are looking for traces of and reasons for terrorist actions in the minds and opinions of this or that people are simply playing political games and not dealing in true politics?
Second, do you agree that behind the various publications and contradictory statements by individuals in the media, a kind of psychological and ideological climate is being developed which is trying to justify new tragedies for our peoples? And should we not take into account, too, that there are certain forces in Russia and beyond its borders who have a vested interest in the destabilization of the Caucasus, and, in particular, are using a conflict between the people of Ingushetia and Ossetia for their own political and financial interests?
Third, the lives and historic destinies of our peoples have become interlinked with the will of the Almighty and of history. We do not deny that there are individuals amongst us who have hostile attitudes towards one another. But does it not seem to you, esteemed parliamentarians, that it is the duty and obligation of elected representatives to stand above such private feelings and impulses for the sake of common and neighbourly interests?
The socio-political processes which have occurred since 1992, and in particular the recent tragic events, convince us even more that there can be no alternative to living together and mutual tolerance. We must not allow ourselves to become captive to new and dangerous illusions that inter-ethnic problems can be resolved by force. We cannot and must not close our eyes to the fact that the threat of an exacerbation of relations between the Ingush and the Ossetians, about which so much has been said and written since Beslan, is moving from the realms of supposition and words to practicalities. Against this background we are particularly alarmed by the human rights situation for the ethnic Ingush people. I am speaking not just about the moral-psychological heartache for hundreds of people, who are daily being subjected to tiresome checks when travelling from one republic to the other, but about the restrictions for Ingush people which are being deliberately imposed by the law-enforcement bodies.
We suggest that the tough measures for monitoring the movement of citizens of the Russian Federation through this or that territory should not lead to the humiliation of one's dignity, and the efforts needed to ensure safety for some should not engender fear for their lives for others.
Mutual respect and tolerance needed
Esteemed colleagues! The activities of various kinds of extremist forces in the region, who are striving to carry out their far-reaching criminal plans, have become clear-cut. Whether these forces will succeed in their intrigues depends on you and us. We, the deputies of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Ingushetia, appeal to you, the deputies of the parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania to: - take all possible steps, political-ideological and practical, which will prevent any actions carried out by individual criminals from turning into an Ossetian-Ingush conflict.
It is not xenophobia and hatred, but mutual respect and tolerance which can lead us to neighbourliness and prosperity; - protected by the rule of law, to resolutely thwart all kinds of provocative rumours designed to enflame inter-ethnic discord, and to present groundless accusations of a whole people - Ingush or Ossetian - of criminal designs, inclination to retribution, and so on. Our peoples have experienced so much in their history that they are capable of accepting one simple, but everlasting truth: injustice and coercion will sooner or later boomerang on those who have at any time caused this; - to move towards purposeful and systematic inter-action between the parliaments of Ossetia and Ingushetia, and not to foist the resolution of all disputes exclusively on to the leaders of our republics and on to the checkpoints.
The historic destinies of the Ossetian and Ingush peoples have long been inseparably linked with Russia. And if we wish to help our united fatherland, then we simply must do everything possible to normalize our relations. We will do everything we can to return our peoples to our long-standing traditions of mutual understanding, fraternity and accord.
===== Nu, zayats, pogodi!
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail