Source:
ReutersRussian human rights groups on Thursday asked U.S. President George W. Bush to explain why he had a White House meeting with a Russian general accused of rights abuses in Chechnya.
Bush met General Vladimir Shamanov in March as part of a U.S.-Russian commission on missing soldiers. A spokeswoman said it was "unlikely" Bush would have met Shamanov if he had known about the abuse allegations.
"The rather vague apologies of the White House don't seem sufficient in such a grave situation. We hope to hear your own explanation," said an open letter signed by leaders of 13 Russian human rights groups.
"Was that meeting with Shamanov a misunderstanding and a very unfortunate mistake? Or do you believe that ... war crimes and crimes against humanity may remain uninvestigated, and the perpetrators may go unpunished?"
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