"It is the first meeting in this format and I hope that everything is going to be great in Strasbourg on Monday," Gross announced in an interview with RIA Novosti.
He said, "we have been working for six months on this project together with the Russian delegation to PACE."
Gross underlined, "we had to work in difficult conditions due to complications caused by Maskhadov's death. Many people started to doubt the possibility of the round table, although everything seems to be ready for the event at present."
The major goals of the round table is to consolidate efforts in the search for the solution of the situation in Chechnya, Gross believes. The European parliamentarian specifically stressed that "individuals who are suspected of links with terrorists and accept their methods of struggle will not be allowed to participate in the work of the round table."
Sixty experts are expected to participate in the event. Among the participants are representatives of the Russian leadership (for instance, Vladimir Lukin, Human Rights Commissioner in Russia, is expected to arrive in Strasbourg), PACE members (parliamentarians from the groups on Chechnya, on human rights and on humanitarian issues), representatives of the Chechen community and non-governmental organizations.
