Decree of the President of the Russian Federation ('Yeltsin's Peace Plan')

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Country/entity: Russia
Chechnya
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Decree of the President of the Russian Federation ('Yeltsin's Peace Plan')
Date: 31 Mar 1996
Agreement status: Unilateral document
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Chechnya Conflicts (1991 - 2009)
The First Chechen War (1995 - 1997)
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, relations between the Federal Russian government with the over 100 ethnic groups deteriorated as demands for autonomy became a major political issue. In March 1992, a federation treaty was drafted and by 1994 the treaty was signed between 87 of the 88 federal jurisdictions and central government, with Chechnya being the exception. The conflict erupted in 1991 following the death of the head of the Communist Party in Grozny when a faction of the USSR’s dissolved military stormed Party Headquarters. Russian forces failed to re-take Grozny and in 1993 the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria announced its independence. Violence and discrimination preceded economic stagnation as non-Chechnens fled the region, and eventually an undeclared civil war broke out as the Chechen opposition attempted a counter-coup against the Chechen ruler Dzhokhar Dudayev. Following the dissolution of the Chechen Parliament in June 1993, a state of emergency was declared, and in December that year an other coup was attempted by the opposition. Issues of sovereignty spurred an assault by Russian troops in December 1994, marking the start of the first Chechen War wherein Russian troops faced four years of insurgency until a ceasefire was unilaterally declared in 1996. A peace treaty was signed in 1997 and Russian forces withdrew.

The Second Chechen War (1999 - 2004)
The inter-war period was marked by economic desolation, corruption and crime. Political polarization was rife, and religious extremism flourished. In August 1999, the Islamic International Brigade led by Shamil Basayev invaded the Russian Republic of Dagestan seeking to found an Islamic State, thereby sparking the Second Chechen War. In response, the Russian Federation began a bombing campaign against the Chechen government and eventually re-took Grozny. An insurgency began following the fall of the Chechen government and separatist attacks spurred an increasingly harsh response from the Kremlin. By 2006, the main separatist leaders had been killed, and the republic has been run by the pro-Russian government led by Ramzan Kadyrov since 2007.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Chechnya peace process
Parties: B. YELTSIN from the Russian Federation
Third parties: -
Description: Initiative from Yeltsin with two main aspects, the gradual withdrawal of federal troops, and signals of a readiness to negotiate. Loose process sketched out as including free and democratic elections in Republic; devolution of power; culmination in a treaty delimiting powers with the possibility of eventual resolution of Chechnya’s status. At this time Yeltsin issued an order to the Russian military to cease offensive military operations.

Agreement document: RU_960331_Decree of the President of the Russian Federation.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (f) Negotiations on the particularities of the status of the Chechen Republic among plenipotentiary representatives of federal organs of state power and the Chechen Republic;
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (f) Negotiations on the particularities of the status of the Chechen Republic among plenipotentiary representatives of federal organs of state power and the Chechen Republic;
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (g) The drafting and signing of a Treaty on the demarcation of the boundaries of jurisdiction and authority between the organs of state power of the Russian Federation and those of the Chechen Republic.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (e) The preparation and conducting of free democratic election for the legislative (representative) organ of state power in the Chechen Republic;
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (e) The preparation and conducting of free democratic election for the legislative (representative) organ of state power in the Chechen Republic;
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Socio-economic development
Page 1-2, 4. To the government of the Russian Federation:
... to frame and present within ten days a draft of the Decree by the President of the Russian Federation on the allocation of financial resources destined for the Chechen Republic, and on means of supervision to prevent the abuse of those resources.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
(a) The cessation of military operation in the territory of the Chechen Republic after 24:00 on 31 March 1996;
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: Security sector→DDR→Demilitarisation provisions
Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
... (b) The gradual removal of federal forces currently in the Chechen Republic back into their administrative area, in accordance with the plan for the relocation of the troops;
... (c) A broadening of the zone of accord, security, and peace, the conducting of disarmament negotiations, the signing of protocols for peace and accord by representative of the Chechen Republic Government, by leaders of the temporary joint forces of the Russian Federation, and the administration of the region and settled areas of the Chechen Republic;
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: Page 1, 1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: Page 2, 5. To present to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Border Control of the Russian Federation, and the Federal security officers of the Russian Federation a plan of action, within five days, for the prevention of terrorist activity at the concluding stages of the resolution of the crisis in the Chechen Republic…

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: Transitional justice→Amnesty/pardon→Amnesty/pardon proper
Page 1, 2. To recommend to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to make an urgent decree of amnesty for the participants of armed conflicts in the Chechen Republic not guilty of grave crime.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: 3. to form a state commission of the Russian Federation of the resolution of the crisis I the Chechen Rep, with the aim of coordinating efforts by the Federal goct to normalize the situation in the Chechen Rep, and of supervising the carrying out of the Program for resolving the crisi in the Chechen Rep
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Hard copy on file with C Bell, sourced from; Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Online Edition, no. 61, 04/02/96

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation

… With the aim of maximizing the effort of federal organs of power and the organs of state power of the Chechen Republic, and to make best use of the forces and resources gathered to help overcome the challenges of the final stage of the resolution of the Chechen crisis, and in accordance with Article 80 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, I resolve:

1. To establish that, in accordance with the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic, which has been approved by the Security Council of the Russian Federation and upheld by the President of the Russian Federation, the main directions for realizing this are:

(a) The cessation of military operation in the territory of the Chechen Republic after 24:00 on 31 March 1996;

(b) The gradual removal of federal forces currently in the Chechen Republic back into their administrative area, in accordance with the plan for the relocation of the troops;

(c) A broadening of the zone of accord, security, and peace, the conducting of disarmament negotiations, the signing of protocols for peace and accord by representative of the Chechen Republic Government, by leaders of the temporary joint forces of the Russian Federation, and the administration of the region and settled areas of the Chechen Republic;

(d) The convocation of a peaceful political forum composed of representatives from the Chechen Republic, with the participation of federal and local organs of state power.

(e) The preparation and conducting of free democratic election for the legislative (representative) organ of state power in the Chechen Republic;

(f) Negotiations on the particularities of the status of the Chechen Republic among plenipotentiary representatives of federal organs of state power and the Chechen Republic;

(g) The drafting and signing of a Treaty on the demarcation of the boundaries of jurisdiction and authority between the organs of state power of the Russian Federation and those of the Chechen Republic.

2. To recommend to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to make an urgent decree of amnesty for the participants of armed conflicts in the Chechen Republic not guilty of grave crime.

3. To form a State Commission of the Russian Federation on the resolution of the crisis in the Chechen Republic (henceforth called the Commission), with the aim of coordinating effort by the Federal government to normalize the situation in the Chechen Republic, and of supervising the carrying out of the Program for resolving the crisis in the Chechen Republic.

To name Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V. S. Chernomyrdin as chair of the Commission.

To propose that representatives from the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation join the Commission.

To report to the chair of the Commission within three days on the membership of the Commission.

4. To the government of the Russian Federation:

... to frame and present within ten days a draft of the Decree by the President of the Russian Federation on the allocation of financial resources destined for the Chechen Republic, and on means of supervision to prevent the abuse of those resources.

5. To present to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Border Control of the Russian Federation, and the Federal security officers of the Russian Federation a plan of action, within five days, for the prevention of terrorist activity at the concluding stages of the resolution of the crisis in the Chechen Republic…

President of the Russian Federation B. YELTSIN

Moscow, the Kremlin

31 March 1996