Conference
on the ecological damages in Chechnya
Tbilissi (Georgia), 25-26 September 2000
Speech of Antonio Russo (September 25, 2000)
Thank you for the
participation to this congress by ecological problem in Chechnya and Caucasian
Region. It's very important to let us participate as members of the Transnational
Party and me as journalist.
I want of course to thank the chief of this congress who is a friend of
job, so there is a more close relationship in this contest: model of an
official relationship and a friendship, really, because he was working
hard this time, relating documents about the situation here in Caucasia.
My participation is in two way: one as Transnational Party that was pushed
in organisation and European Parliament against torture, against problem
by the war and the ecological problem and we are really engaged in this,
so the other is as war reporter.
I was in several war: from Rwanda, Algeria, Bosnia, Kossova, so I have
a big experience about the war and specially (about) the effects of the
war: which kind of army are used during the war, which are the effects
during the war and also after the war. It's also really important not
to think about the war, but also after the war, and how are the effects,
in a chemical way and ecological way.
This way for example is not very well-known. This study now starts in
an international level, to analyse also the post war situation, post war
syndrome, post war ecological problems.
That is because very often in the war situation is very difficult to monitoring
which kind of army and which kind of pollution was used with chemical
army, also all systems to make a war: for example put the body of the
people or the animal in the water and so for me after that the water will
be polluted and there will be a big problem, for example, as illness.
During the war in Kossova there was one case of 140 people was dying for
the sickness of the black sick (…). That was because they paid the consequence
of the post war.
No one knows that (…) a lot of body, human body, not only animals, were
put in the water polluted.
(…)
So to end, because the other people must to talk, and tomorrow I can give
more details, technical details about the weapons and the technology of
the war.
We have no exactly information also if they are using for example bullets
with uranio that was used for example in Kossova, (they used) around 40.000
bullets. I was, during the Nato bombing in Kossova and made reportage:
maybe I took intoxication by uranio, I don't know about it.
But also we have news that Russian use those things in Chechnya. Unfortunately
we have no exactly information because it's very hard to go in Chechnya
and (be) monitored by (the) international community.
So I want to end and say thank you for the participation here in the congress
and I hope that today and tomorrow we (will) enjoy all together in the
job about ecological problems for Cecenia and we can make documents to
push the international Community to monitor and to stop the crime that
is going on in Cecenia, not only genocide and ethnocide but also ecological
problems
That's it. Thank you very much.
Speech of Antonio Russo (September 26, 2000)
(…) So mean that the main issue to clean the territory, was given from (…), and the picture was about one check point in Grozny, where was stopped one car and was killed one of the two drivers and one man that was in the car (see the picture) you can't see that was killed by a Chechnyan.
So one of them was killed (the driver), and here (show the neck) he had completely no head, only the neck, opened as a mushroom, you couldn't understand that there was a head.
That effects could be only caused with one kind of bullet, a special one, made of aluminium: it's a very little bullet, it's not big as we know about kalashnikov and seven point (…).
The effects to devaste, to destroy are unbelievable. As I said about the photo, that you have the chance to see, you can understand what I mean: you can split the body or a part of the body in all the room, and it was used in Serbia, Yugoslavia and Chechnya.
So, I talked a lot of all the kind of army: snipers army is a barbarian gun. But I don't want to make more long discussion, but this are the main army that were used in Chechnya, and all of these army, these models of army, are forbidden by the international laws, i.e. the Helsinki threat as others, are forbidden, also for example the rifle (…) are forbidden to use in case of civilian and main of them are put on the tanks and (over) armed vehicle.
So, we analysed the impact of these kind of techniques to clean one country and the ecological impact. One is the environment level so mean that for ambient nuclear pollution by the army, and I said before, uranio, pollution of the water because if they must to clean the country, they must to push all the survivor out of the country, and one is polluted water so mean put body of dogs, cows or sheets or also men.
Unfortunately we have not so much details about Chechnya: I can make a compare with the same system that formally was used in Kossova.
After that the pollution "of the ground", so mean (that) they used for example napalm, that was used in Russia and the…..mine so the people is going to leave this ground because he could injured by (…) and he must go out. Unfortunately in Chechnya we don't know how many mines there are.
In Bosnia there was 3/5 millions mines, in Angola was around 30 millions, so you know what I mean: to clean. These are mines by the war, you know, the technological way how to clean which is the impact on the ambient, you know, in the country. The second is sanitary ecological problems
When you in a country live under a war as Chechnya you have no water, no fire, to need to use the wood so part of the forest are destroyed by the russians, and part are destroyed by checenian because they need the wood for the fire as here in Georgia you can see some place where also cut the wood because they need (it) they have no fire and gas and something like that So these two problems are joined Russians in one way destroy systematically and people that survive must take what they have close to theme. The sanitary problem means that there are problems for epidemia for the easy flue till one of the most important problems here is TBC there are a lot of cases in Chechnya
I talk with the refugees, I talk about these people, about the conditions. This is a reporting of Médecins Sans Frontières and Red Cross, it is not only my experience
That's right because the ecological way to live for theme is impossible to have the conforts to have the vaccinations to have the shoes to have the dresses to have the vitamin to have the right alimentation and then …then
Third problem is a (problem ) of mind I make a question to you "do you think that the people that was out from war and that are now in the war are people that could see the life in the same way as before?"
The main person that are injuring by this kind of problem are the kids and the woman this is one of the biggest problem that we must put as ecological problem because ecology of mind mean cleaning and freedom as your habitat where you live so must work with eco-psiycologist for these kind of problems I have a lot of memory in my hearth about the kids who are shocked by the bombing and the massacres they saw the massacres and they was (will be) tempted and shocked for all their life about this experience. So this is one of the most difficult program to make it.
We will do it, I hope, and in a way that this Congress has this kind of label. Very important is to give the documents and the facts and to push the international community all together of course to work and to push for to stop the war in Chechnya. That is the first problem when we realised it we will make a big goal, the first big goal after that there is also the goal of the ecological problem and post war and rebuilding.
Thank you very match
Question from the public (in russian): Mr. Antonio, you represent the TRP. Could you explain the reason why the Russian Federation asked for the expulsion of the party from the United Nations and from other international fora and if you are involved here on the question of the Chetchnyan war for your party ?
Answer of Antonio Russo: Yes. What I can say is for sure for that I am here six months in the area of Georgia between Chechnya and Georgia working for give information and make this I can see something nicer when Russian ambassador says that the Transnational Party must to be (one man is Perduca is working in New York) must go out from the UN organisations as European Parliament (social economic group (it means ECOSOC) asked why he made this official request, he said because they are friend of terrorist checenian and they have money with drug traffic and all members of commission was (were) smiling then Russian was introducing this argument