Envoy refutes Patten claim

Date: 21/11/02

By David Cronin

VLADIMIR Putin's Brussels representative has disputed claims by Chris Patten that last week's EU-Russia summit involved a 'vigorous exchange' of views on Chechnya.

The external relations commissioner insisted that no EU presidency had 'raised Chechnya as comprehensively and as vigorously' as Denmark's premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen did on 11 November.

However, Russia's EU envoy Vasily Likachev, who was at the summit, said Rasmussen raised Chechnya only 'in passing'.

'The Danish prime minister was the only one that touched on the subject,' Likachev told European Voice. 'He said the EU respected the territorial integrity of Russia and that it wants a political settlement. Mr Patten didn't speak at all on Chechnya.'

Russia wants the EU to include Chechen rebels on its list of proscribed organisations. 'I imagine this question will arise in the near future,' said Likachev. 'An accord on cooperation between Europol [the Union's police agency] and the Russian Federation is being worked out and this will deal with fighting terrorism.'

Russia's EU representative Vasily Likachev has disputed claims by External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten that the EU-Russia summit on 11 November 2002 involved a 'vigorous exchange' of views on Chechnya.