Russian president faces human rights protests during Spain visit



By Marie-Noelle Valles
AFP
MADRID
Petroleumworld.com 02 08 06

Russian President Vladimir Putin faces protests over his handling of the Chechen conflict and attempts to clamp down on dissident groups during a two-day visit to Spain, starting Wednesday.

Human rights will be discussed during the visit, a Spanish official said, a day after Amnesty International called on the Socialist government to put pressure on the Russian president over attempts "to control civic society" and human rights abuses in Chechnya.

The Russian premier is due to sign an anti-terrorism declaration with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, but Spanish officials admitted Tuesday that it would be difficult to agree on its wording.

The two countries had different definitions of terrorism, an official said on condition of anonymity, after Putin on Tuesday referred to terrorists as "rats" that needed to be "exterminated".

While support is waning for Spain's Basque separatist group ETA, that has been blamed for some 800 deaths in a four-decade campaign to create an independent state, Russia continues to face a deadly guerrilla insurgency in Chechnya after it attacked the Caucasus state in October 1999.

Members of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, which claims to have undergone a campaign of harassment coordinated by Russian authorities, will join a demonstration late Wednesday outside the Russian embassy in Madrid, Amnesty said.

Meanwhile NGO Paz Ahora (Peace Now), Communist coalition Izquierda Unida (Left United) and unions were planning protests for Thursday.

Spanish authorities highlighted the commercial aspects of the Russian visit, calling for an increase in bilateral ties, that represented six billion euros (7.2 billion dollars) in 2005.

No major economic deal was expected with Putin, who is due to meet bank, gas, oil and electricity business leaders on the sidelines of his official programme.

Spain is the 17th country worldwide to import Russian goods, mainly oil, and the 20th to export to Russia.

Joint deals on justice, anti-drug programmes, space exploration, tourism, sport, agriculture and ship building are due to be signed on Thursday, officials said.

International issues, including the Iran nuclear crisis and the Middle East conflict, are also on the agenda, as well as Russia's presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations, which Spain would like to join.

Putin was due to meet twice with King Juan Carlos, visit the Spanish Senate and Madrid City Hall.

AFP 02/07/06

Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved

 

 

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