ISTANBUL, Turkey -- World leaders ended a 54-nation European security summit on Friday by calling for a political settlement with international help in Chechnya and accepting that conflicts in one state are the legitimate concern of all.
Their final declaration called for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to have both a political and a humanitarian role in Chechnya -- a major concession by Russia, which had previously rejected any outside involvement in its seven-week military crackdown on the rebel Caucasian republic."We agree that a political solution is essential and that the assistance of the OSCE would contribute to achieving that goal. We welcome the agreement of the Russian Federation to a visit by the (OSCE) Chairman in Office to the region," it said.
A British official called this mission "a foot in the door," but despite the words on paper, Moscow pressed ahead with its relentless offensive on Friday, making clear there would be no letup until Islamic guerrillas are driven out of the territory.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, the OSCE chairman, said he hoped to visit Chechnya soon but gave no date.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said there had been moments when he feared the summit would collapse and called the outcome a "respectable compromise." He forecast more hard bargaining with Moscow over the terms of the OSCE mission.
The leaders also signed a landmark arms control treaty for Europe, updating limits on armed forces and heavy equipment set in the dying days of the Cold War in 1990.
Clinton Thursday traveled to Athens, Greece, where thousands of left-wing protesters chanting anti-American slogans clashed with police and set dozens of stores ablaze. Clinton said the demonstrations wouldn't worry him and that he hoped his visit would highlight "the changing face of Greece."