Medvedev instructs his envoy to consider conf with human rights

MOSCOW, May 20 (Itar-Tass) -- President Dmitry Medvedev instructed
Vice Prime Minister and presidential representative to the North Caucasus
Federal District Alexander Khloponin to consider holding a big conference
with human rights activists and North Caucasian authorities.
"I do not object. I am ready to give such instructions," Medvedev said
at a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil
Society and Human Rights Institutions on Wednesday.
"It should be a well prepared and frank discussion, on the one hand,
and it should make concrete decisions, on the other hand," he said.
"If it is to be held, it should involve different authorities, not
just the plenipotentiary representative or the government. There should be
law enforcers, prosecutors, officials from the Federal Security Service
(FSB), police and the Investigation Committee - everyone who works there,"
Medvedev said.
"It should be a dialogue. It should not be a monologue of authorities
or a monologue of human rights activists," he warned.
Earlier in the day, human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva,
chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, suggested holding such a
conference.
"Human rights activists working in the North Caucasus know how
cooperation between human rights activists and law enforcement agencies is
needed. A big conference with the participation of both sides could become
an important step in fostering such cooperation and in working our joint
proposals to the president of the Russian Federation," she said, adding
that such conference could be held regularly in the future.
"The first such conference could be held in the Stavropol Territory,"
Alexeyeva said.