We are extremely disturbed by the February 7 Human Rights Watch report charging Russian forces with summarily executing civilians in Groznyy in recent weeks.

Secretary Albright pointed out last week in Moscow the need to investigate reports like this during her meetings with acting President Putin and Foreign Minister Ivanov.

The Russian Government has a clear obligation to investigate the latest reports of civilian killings and alleged misconduct by its soldiers. We call on the Government of Russia to conduct a full, credible, and transparent investigation into these matters.

We are also extremely concerned about the fate of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Andrei Babitsky. We cannot understand the Government of Russia turning over Mr. Babitsky, as they have stated, to individuals and groups they have themselves labeled as, "bandits and terrorists." We find this activity inconsistent with the Russian Federation’s commitment to all of us under the Code of Conduct, as well as its obligations under international humanitarian law. We hold the Government of Russia responsible for his fate and we cannot understand the shifting and contradictory explanations made by Russian Government spokesmen. As a former spokesman, I would urge the Russian Government to follow a standard that all of us should aspire to: that’s to tell the truth; tell it early; tell it often; and, above all, to tell it yourself. We will continue to follow this situation very closely.

With Groznyy in ruins and hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting, Russia must address the humanitarian needs of civilians there urgently.

As Secretary Albright said on February 2 in Moscow, "As long as the fighting continues, it will serve as a magnet for extremism that could one day risk the stability of the entire region. Only a political resolution of the conflict will set the stage for building a peaceful, prosperous Chechnya within the Russian Federation."

We remain convinced that dialogue and a political solution, as called for in the OSCE Istanbul Declaration, remain the only viable option. We believe the OSCE can—and should—play an important role toward this end -- as was acknowledged by all of us in Istanbul.