23:36, 21 February 2004

Moscow denies forcing Chechen refugees to return home

Moscow has officially denied accusations that the Russian authorities have been pressing on the Chechen refugees staying in Ingushetia to return to Chechnya.

"We have repeatedly emphasized that voluntariness must be the fundamental principle of the return of displaced persons from Ingushetia to Chechnya," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said on Saturday, February 21.

A number of media outlets reported earlier on Saturday that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had accused the Russian authorities of actually forcing the refugees to return to Chechnya from Ingushetia.

"I have not seen such accusations so far. It would have been strange if the UN Refugee Agency had come up with such a statement," Mr Fedotov said. "In any case, statements of this kind - whether they have been made or not - could cause only perplexity. They do not reflect the reality and contradict the position of the Russian government," he said.

Source: Interfax News Agency