U.S. EMPHASIZES POLITICAL SOLUTION.

Responding to questions from Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 20, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell stated a propos of Chechnya: “I know that from day one we’ve been pressing the Russians to find a political solution [in Chechnya]. We have made it a priority item in all of our discussions. We have told them it will have an effect on our overall relationship with the Russians. It represents human rights abuses that are unacceptable, and we will continue to speak out about it constantly and continuously” (Senate Foreign Relations Committee Testimony, June 20).