Acting President Vladimir Putin sent a letter to this effect to the speaker of the State Duma Gennady Seleznyov. The letter’s full text is as follows:
“In order to ensure an early cessation of resistance by illegal armed formations in the Chechen Republic and to achieve civil peace and accord, and considering that a gesture of goodwill may encourage them to surrender arms voluntarily and stop their unlawful activities, I propose extending the resolution of the Russian Federal Assembly State Duma “On amnesty for persons who committed socially dangerous acts during the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus” to those who stop armed resistance and voluntarily lay down arms by midnight of April 1, 2000.”