DECREE ISSUED BY THE STATE DUMA OF THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION on Ever Increasing Tension around Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation expresses deep concern with regard to the ongoing process of fomenting tension around Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Constituent elements of the campaign launched against these regions by the leadership of Georgia are allegations as if Abkhazia ha turned into safe heaven for international terrorist. Simultaneously with the aforementioned, the Georgian Authorities are carrying out intensive military programs, resuming subversive activities along the separation line between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides, as well as in the South Ossetia.

In these circumstances, a logical conclusion could be drawn that a purposeful process of preparation of the public opinion is being carried out in Georgia, which aims at expanding of the officially declared anti-terrorist operation to the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, that will be followed by large scale military actions in those regions.

Taking into account that aforementioned scenario of development of affairs will undoubtedly result in destabilization of the overall situation in Trans-Caucasus and will have negative bearing on the developments in the South of Russian Federation, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation decrees:

1. To endorse assessments and provisions laid down in the statement of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation issued on 6 March 2002 on “ Situation in Georgia in Terms of the Military Presence of USA on Its territory”.

2. To entrust a group of Deputies of the State Duma-members of the Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIS States (to be held on 25-26 March 2002, in Saint-Petersburg) with a task of meeting Georgian parliamentarians, in order to discuss issues related to situation in Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts.

3. To dispatch a group of Deputies of the State Duma to Tbilisi, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali in order to learn the situation on the spot.

4. To put forward a proposal to the Government of the Russian Federation to render a economic and humanitarian aid to the populations of Abkhazia and the South Ossetia-among them there are tens of thousand of our compatriots, including citizens of the Russian Federation, enduring acute economic crises and extreme difficulties.

5. To put forward a proposal to Mr. V.V.Putin, President of the Russian Federation to offer the Georgian leadership a plan of participation of Russia in the anti-terrorist operation in the Pankisi gorge, with due respect to the fact that there are citizens of the Russian Federation in the gorge.

6. To call upon the Russian Mass Media to pay more attention to the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and provide objective and balanced information about the ongoing events.

7. To send this decree to Mr. Putin, President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation.

8. To send this decree to the “Parliamentary Newspaper” for official publication.

9. This decree shall come into force immediately upon its adoption.

First Deputy Chair of the State Duma

of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation L. K. Sliska

22 March 2002

(Bulletin of the Federal Assembly of the RF, 2002, # 13, p. 3363-3364)