Sir, - Paddy Woodworth highlights the hypocrisy of the Council of Europe's inaction in the face of widespread and documented human rights abuse in Chechnya (March 4th). He fails to note, however, a bitter irony.
Russia was accepted into the Council during the height of Yeltsin's brutality against the Chechens in the first war of 199496. The argument at the time was that the Council could gain "influence" over Russia's behavior in Chechnya only by allowing it to join the Council.
Ironically, the same excuse is being used now to prevent Russia's expulsion from the Council. What we have yet to see, however, is the Council of Europeusing some of this supposed "influence" to stop Russia's genocidal behavior in Chechnya. - Yours, etc.,
Tomas Hopkins Primeau, Department of International Relations, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Mexico.