On 5 October, 2004 the IISS hosted a public discussion meeting with Mr Aslambek Aslakhanov, Adviser to the Russian President Vladimir Putin on the North Caucasus, and Senator Alexander Torshin, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council who heads the Parliamentary Commission investigating the terrorist attack in Beslan.
In his comments Mr Torshin emphasised that the commission, consisting of 10 members of the State Duma and 10 from the Federation Council, collected significant evidence from their trips to Beslan. Their investigation, which covers over 500 separate question is focused on two broad themes namely events leading to the 1 September terrorist act (why it was possible) and what happened during the hostage crisis between 9am on 1 September and 00:30 on 4 September.
Mr Torshin emphasised that the Commission registered multiple violations of procedures, all of which will be documented in a report to be presented within the next 6 months. Mr Aslakhanov commented on sources of terrorist threats in the North Caucasus, naming among them brutal actions on the part of Russian troops during the first and second military campaigns in Chechnya, and on-going acts of brutality which humiliate Chechen people and deliberately violate their traditions.
Mr Aslakhanov supported proposals for appointments of governors, calling for development of strong parliamentary systems in the North Caucasus republics and improvement of local self-government. He also called for closer international co-operation in combating international terrorism including establishment of a database on terrorist organisations and their activities. The meeting was chaired by the IISS Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia, Oksana Antonenko, who recently visited the North Caucasus and Beslan.
