Ms Melnikova says she finds it hard to give any timeframe just yet, but that her committee hope it won't be long before such a meeting is arranged.
Russia's Committee of Conscripts' Mothers plans to send a delegation to Brussels for a meeting with Ahmad Zakayev, a Chechen rebel envoy now living in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. European MP Bart Stas has reportedly invited Zakayev to visit Belgium this week. But a Belgian Interior Ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti Monday that to the best of his knowledge, Zakayev had not applied for an entry visa to Belgium.
The ministry spokesman confirmed that Zakayev, who in 2003 had been granted political asylum in the UK, had no right of visa-free travel to any of the Schengen countries. So if he makes an attempt to enter Belgium without a visa, the man will be immediately sent back to the UK.
Moscow does not think there is any point in a meeting between Russian conscripts' mothers and the Chechen rebel envoy.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko made it clear earlier this week that the Russian government did not like the idea of such a meeting and doubted it could yield any tangible results. "Personally, I believe such a meeting is pointless," Yakovenko said, adding that Zakayev never cared about Russian soldiers and their parents. But he said that he could understand the motivation of those desperate women, ready to "grab any straw" they think might help them "get a clearer picture of the situation."
