Paris, 13 January 1997 (RFE/RL) - The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly is hoping to send a delegation to observe the elections in Russia's breakaway republic of Chechnya due to begin two weeks from today.
But at a meeting today in Paris, the Assembly's Executive Board said the delegation would be sent only if its security could be guaranteed.
Last month, Russia told the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that it could not guarantee the security of an observer delegation which that organization hoped to send to Chechnya for the elections.
The Parliamentary Assembly's 40-member Executive Board acts for the entire body when it is not in session. The Assembly's next plenary session is scheduled for the end of this month.
The Board today also appealed to all parties to the conflict on the Mediterranean island-nation of Cyprus to seek a peaceful solution to their differences. It took note of new tensions between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island
The Parliamentary Assembly has scheduled a debate on the situation in Cyprus during its upcoming session on January 29.