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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 7/24/2006 8:30 AM
G8 SUMMIT:
To Germany for Human Rights
Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW, Jul 24 (IPS) - Human rights organisations are looking for a place for their cause at the G8 summit in Germany next year after the issue was more or less set aside this year.
"While such issues as health, education and energy security are certainly important to many Russian NGOs, independent human right organisations were devastated by the fact that human rights weren't even an item on the agenda of the summit," chairwoman of Centre Demos Tatyana Lokshina told IPS. Centre Demos is an independent group supporting rights and democracy.
"This omission seemed particularly ill-timed as in 2006 varied threats and problems in the sphere of human rights and democratisation, which were building up in Russia in recent years, developed into a full-blown crisis," she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the G8 NGO Forum that he regretted the absence of "human rights on the agenda" and thought it "a great shame." But few independent NGOs believed in the sincerity of his words - he was the leader of the host nation that set the agenda in the first place.
In light of the strong and consolidated NGO advocacy over human rights this year, there are grounds to hope that under German leadership of the G8 next year, human rights will be back on the agenda at the summit.
At the summit of G8 leaders (the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia) in St. Petersburg in Russia earlier this month, they only affirmed their commitment to human rights in fighting terrorism and working towards better security.
But this time human rights campaigners did get to raise their concerns - directly to U.S. President George Bush - at a meeting with him at the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
"I spoke mainly about the human rights situation in Chechnya and the Northern Caucasus and handed over to Bush two pictures on the destruction of the Chechen mountain settlement Rigakhoy in an aerial attack by the Russian forces in April 2004," Lokshina said.
"I explained to Mr Bush that the perpetrators in that crime -- as well as many other such atrocities -- have never been brought to justice, and talked about how impunity for gross and blatant human rights violations breeds terrorism."
That raised an old and difficult question for Bush - whether the 'war on terror' is ending terror or provoking more of it. Lokshina said that it is essential to make sure that the side effects of anti-terrorism measures do not outbalance any positive results.
"The situation as far as democracy and human rights are concerned in Russia has gotten dramatically worse," Lokshina said.
Bush was guarded in his response following the 90-minute meeting with civil society leaders, but his remarks did point to differences with the Russian leadership on democracy issues.
"I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in some parts of the world," Bush said, referring to talks with Putin. "I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing."
Bush added, "I fully understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy. I don't expect Russia to look like the United States; as Vladimir pointedly reminded me, we have a different history and different traditions."
Bush said of his Russian counterpart: "He's a strong man. Look, he's willing to listen, but he also explains to me, he doesn't want anybody telling him how to run his government. We have agreed to work together to achieve a common goal."
Bush emphasised that he considers Putin a good friend and partner who wants the best for Russia, but that this did not prevent him from criticising "friend Vladimir" when necessary. Bush said private, "closed door" criticism was more effective with Russia than an open, public one.
Russian human rights groups are unhappy with this approach. They say such "closed door" criticism has proved fruitless, and only results in continuation of dialogue for the sake of dialogue alone.
Bush's meeting with the NGO leaders from Russia has been controversial in some official circles. But Sergey Prikhodko, who led the G8 summit organising committee, said he does not consider the meeting any interference in Russia's internal affairs. Prikhodko said Putin had also met with NGO activists. (END/2006)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34071