Mr. Speaker, the summit of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe ended yesterday afternoon without Russia making any fundamental compromise concerning the Chechen issue.
The bombings continue, civilians are being killed or displaced, and Russia is still rejecting any negotiated solution. The conflict could now spread to a whole region that is already unstable, with Russia using antipersonnel mines in neighbouring Georgia, which has asked to join NATO.
We must fight terrorists by arresting them, not by bombing innocent people. It is now clear that the conflict is not strictly a matter of internal Russian policy, but an issue of international security.
The timidity shown by the western world with Russia regarding an armed conflict that has been raging for two months has had disastrous consequences. Our commitment to peace and to the security of people requires much stronger action.