President Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues,
We are meeting in this unusual format due to special circumstances. Circumstances that have deeply moved the entire country and, it may be said without exaggeration, the entire world.
I am sure that there is not a single Russian family, not a single Russian citizen, who did not feel the sorrow and suffering of the Ossetian people as their own. Not only is it impossible to speak about what happened in Beslan without tears – it is impossible to think about it without tears.
However, mere sympathy, tears and words of support are not an adequate response from the authorities. We must act. We must improve the effectiveness of power bodies in resolving all the problems that lie before the country – the entire set of problems. Because when taken out of the context of the whole, not a single issue that lies before us today, even such important issues as ensuring the security of citizens and the state, can be solved effectively.
In the situation that has arisen after the terrorist act in Beslan, I think that at this enlarged meeting it is necessary to discuss with you the problems that I raised in the address to the people of Russia on September the 4th. These are issues of ensuring the unity of the country, strengthening state structures and trust in the authorities, creating an effective system of internal security.
Not only members of federal Government are gathered here today, but also the heads of all Russian regions. I believe that in the current situation, in the current conditions, the system of executive power in the country must not simply be adapted for work in crisis situations, it must be fundamentally reorganised, in order to strengthen the unity of the country and stop crises from arising.
We must not forget that in their far-reaching plans, the people who inspire, organise and carry out terrorist acts aim for the disintegration of the country, the break-up of the state and the collapse of Russia.
I am certain that the unity of the country is the main condition for conquering terrorism. And without such unity this goal is impossible to attain.
I would like to discuss the problem in more detail.
Above all, I believe that the most important factor in strengthening the state is a unified system of executive power in the country. A unity that comes from the spirit and letter of article 77 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Essentially, this means that in the areas of competence of the Russian Federation, and in the areas of joint competence, the bodies of executive power in the centre and in the federal regions form a single system of power, and thus must work as an integral co-subordinate single organism.
It must be admitted that this system of power has yet to be created in the country.
The war on terrorism is a national task. It is a task that requires the mobilisation of all resources. And it is clear that a unity of actions of the entire executive power vertical must be ensured here unconditionally.
I also believe that in order to ensure the unity of state power and the consistent development of federalism, the Federation and its subjects must jointly take part in forming executive bodies of power in the territories of Russia. And in connection with this, I believe that the higher regional officials of the Russian Federation subjects must be elected by legislative assemblies of the territories at the head of state proposal .
In this case, the mechanism for forming higher executive power in the regions will be organised on principles that are practically identical with the principles for forming the Government of the Russian Federation. This system of forming executive power is based on the general statutes of the Constitution and is proposed in projects presented by an entire range of heads of regions of the Russian Federation.
By the end of the year, I will submit an according draft law to the State Duma. I ask the Government, and also the heads of Russian regions together with the representative power bodies to work on preparing this document. Furthermore, I believe that nowadays the heads of regions should work more closely with municipal formations, helping them in their daily work with the people; they should also have more influence on forming bodies of local self-administration in the formats stipulated by law.
Consultations with specialists show that within the framework of the current Constitution there are such possibilities, and I ask the Government and the Presidium of the State Council to work on this and present their proposals.
Dear meeting participants,
The war on terrorism must become a national matter in all senses of the world, and so it is very important that all institutions of the political system, all Russian society take part in it.
In these tragic days, we have seen the courage and resolve of our people in opposing terror. People not only showed their solidarity, they showed their complete understanding of the situation, and a high level of civil and personal responsibility. This says a lot, and of course it is worth a great deal.
Today we must support citizens’ initiatives with practical actions in their efforts to fight terrorism. Together, we must find mechanisms unifying the state. It is national parties that should become one of the mechanisms ensuring a real dialogue and cooperation between society and state in the war on terrorism. And in the interests of strengthening the political system of the country, I believe it is necessary to introduce a proportional system of State Duma elections. I will soon submit a draft law on this for examination by the Parliament.
I would also like to stress: if we are counting on society’s help in the war against terrorists, people must be sure that their opinions will be heard. In connection with this, I support the idea of forming a public chamber as a platform for wide dialogue, where civic initiatives can be presented and discussed in detail. No less importantly, this chamber should become a place for conducting public examinations of key state decisions, and above all of draft laws that concern prospects for the country development of national significance.
This essentially means civilian control of the work of the state system, including the law-enforcement bodies and the special services, which in my opinion is extremely important at the moment.
I appeal especially to the representatives of the Government power bloc. In the situation that the country finds itself, in this difficult period of our development, we must establish contact with citizens and cooperate with them more closely. We must react attentively and efficiently to every appeal and concern of theirs. We must help people to learn to behave appropriately in extreme situations.
We should also support citizens’ initiatives on organising voluntary structures in the sphere of public order protection. They are capable not just of providing real assistance in collecting information and detecting signals from the people on possible crime preparations, but can also become a real factor in fighting crime and terrorism. And of course, we need help from public organisations in explaining how to behave in the threat of a terrorist act and how to assist in preventing them.
In coordination with bodies of local self-administration, a system of cooperation with people at their place of residence, at work, at schools and universities should be established, which would be adequate to the current situation.
Dear colleagues,
In my address to the people on September the 4th, I also spoke of the necessity of increasing security in the North Caucasus. The war on terrorism requires a fundamental revision of all our policies in this region. And one of the most serious, key issues is the weakness of state administration.
As you know, the socio-economic situation in the North Caucasus region remains deplorable. And the living standard there is unacceptably lower than in other Russian territories. It is enough to say that the unemployment level is several times higher than the average for Russia. In republics such as Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan, it is a truly mass phenomenon. The average monthly income in the South Federal district is one and a half times lower than the average for Russia. And in Ingushetia, for example, it is almost four times lower. The child mortality rates in almost all the republics of the Northern Caucasus are extremely high.
I will put it bluntly: it is the bodies of executive power to be primarily blamed for this situation. We must not forget: the Northern Caucasus is a very important strategic region of Russia. And at the moment it is simultaneously a victim of terror, and a base for terror. It is here that ideologists of international terrorism are particularly active. And in their crimes and their criminal plans they openly and brazenly exploit our shortcomings in socio-economic policies.
In fighting manifestations of terror, we practically have not achieved visible results. Above all, we have not achieved visible results in liquidating the sources of terror. However, the roots of terror also lie in the mass unemployment that remains in the region, in the lack of effective social policies, in the low level of education of the young generation, or even the lack of opportunity to receive education. This all provides rich soil for extremist propaganda, for a growth in terror bases, and for recruiting new followers.
I would like to say that in accordance with the decree that I have signed, a special Federal commission on the North Caucasus has been created, which is headed by the Plenipotentiary Presidential envoy to the Southern Federal district. He has been given broad powers on coordinating a number of federal civic ministries, and in certain aspects — of law-enforcement authorities. I mean those aspects that primarily concern the economy and the social sphere; he also has several powers in the security sphere for swift response to the threat of terrorist acts.
The commission includes the heads of several federal and regional ministries and departments. The main task of this commission is to achieve in the near future appreciable results in improving the living standard in the region. The chief of staff of the Russian Government, Dmitry Nikolaevich Kozak, will be appointed today as the Plenipotentiary Presidential envoy to the Southern Federal district.
I also consider it necessary to make changes to the structure of the Government and create a ministry responsible for issues of regional and ethnic policy. At the agreement of the Prime Minister, Vladimir Anatol’evich Yakovlev will be appointed as minister.
And finally, the third point. The third area that I discussed on September the 4th is that we need an anti-crisis management system, effective in the conditions of the terrorist war that is being conducted against Russia. We need a full system of measures that are adequate to the situation, and which can repel the threat of terror in any form. We also need appropriate anti-crisis plans of action, for the Government, for the ministries, the departments, the regions of the Russian Federation and for local authorities. All these issues will be worked out on the basis of a special decree by the President of the Russian Federation that has been signed today.
It means that we must jointly carry out an entire range of measures, including correcting our work in the framework of the current administrative reform, providing the necessary tools and resources for effective management in crisis situations.
I repeat, this concerns the entire range of tasks – from foreign policy to specific economic tasks.
Work in the law-enforcement sphere is no exception. As you know, I have ordered a detailed analysis of the circumstances that led to the tragedy in Beslan. The law-enforcement structures have been given the necessary orders to intensify anti-terrorist operations, also by increasing the scope of international cooperation in the special services. All these are undoubtedly important and necessary measures. But they are still not enough on their own. A number of countries that have faced terrorist threats have established unified systems of security that provide comprehensive internal security and anti- terrorist actions. And here in Russia, we also need the same organisational work and the same system of national security organization which is capable of not only stopping terrorist acts and dealing with their consequences, but also of working on preventing terrorist invasions, diversions and man-made catastrophes organised by terrorists. The system that will be ahead of criminals to destroy them, so to speak, in their own lair. And if the situation requires it, to get them from abroad.
We must uncover terrorist organisations and groups, and the terrorists themselves, cut off financial channels and create a political and financial vacuum around their emissaries and lobbyists.
I also believe that extremist organisations that hide behind religious, nationalist or other slogans and that essentially breed terror must be prohibited, and their leaders and active members prosecuted in accordance with the law.
It is also necessary to punish crimes of official misconduct, which have extremely serious consequences, even though these crimes may seem insignificant at first glance. To give you an example — I mean issuing passports illegally and documents that are used in terrorist acts, which have serious consequences. These crimes should be judged accordingly by the state and the courts. The sanctions should be adequate to the consequences of the crime.
I would ask State Duma deputies to make a thorough study of all the gaps in Russian legislation and make an according decision.
As you also know, a decree has been issued placing on heads of district and regional anti-terrorist commissions responsibility for coordinating the actions of territorial divisions of federal structures, and also for coordinating the work of regional and local bodies in suppressing the illegal armed units and subversive activity.
In accordance with this decree, the first deputy has been appointed to regional authorities – an officer of the internal forces who has been given the necessary powers and means from all departments on the appropriate territory for swift and effective response to all acts of terrorism. We will continue to improve the system of internal security, in the country as a whole and in the Southern federal district in particular.
To end my speech, I would like once more to stress that the war on terrorism is our common and primary task, and whether we solve it depends on how effectively all the resources of state and society are mobilised.
Let us now begin the discussion.