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TITLE: Kadyrov Calls for Army Withdrawl from Chechnya |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: Gazeta.Ru |
DATE: January15, 2001 |
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After his meeting with President Putin on Saturday, the head of the Chechen civil administration Akhmad Kadyrov made a number of striking statements. In particular, Kadyrov called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the devastated republic.On Saturday, after meeting President Putin in the Kremlin, Kadyrov said that he himself would take the final decision on the appointment and dismissal of the new head of the Chechen government. On Monday, January 15, Akhmad Kadyrov said he did not rule out that instead of the expected appointment of Stanislav Ilyasov, someone else could be appointed head of the Chechen government. "At present Ilyasov suits everyone, but only Allah knows what could happen tomorrow," Kadyrov was quoted as saying by Interfax Monday. Kadyrov confirmed that he had laid down strict conditions on Ilyasov and has demanded that he relocate to Chechnya together with his family. "I demand that from each member of my government. My family never left Chechnya and has stayed with me for all these years. If the family stays beyond the borders of the Republic, the soul of the prime minister or minister will be there with them," holds Kadyrov. That means that Ilyasov's appointment remains uncertain. Secondly, the head of the Chechen administration has said that it is high time for federal troops to be withdrawn from the war-torn region since the military phase of "the counter-terrorist operation" has been declared completed. Kadyrov says the withdrawal operation should be carried out in several stages. He says the federal center should consider leaving behind only those units that are permanently stationed in the region and that the Chechen militia should be increased to 5 thousand. In fact, Akhmad Kadyrov was reiterating the suggestions he made back in 1997, also put forward by his predecessors. In their times, both general Dzhokhar Dudayev and Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov said that the presence of federal forces in the region was only making complicating the post-war situation in the rebellious province. At the time the former commander of the unified federal forces in Chechnya Anatoly Koulikov and general Boris Gromov also spoke against deploying regular forces to settle conflicts within the Russian Federation. The chief of General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin recently suggested that the Defense Ministry's units be withdrawn from the from Chechnya and the Interior Ministry take over all law enforcement responsibilities. Kvashnin said that, "The military phase of the counter-terrorist operation has practically been completed." But then again Kvashin is Akhmad Kadyrov's key supporter in Moscow. However, the presidential envoy in the Southern federal district, general Viktor Kazantsev, is not a supporter of Akhmad Kadyrov, and instead backs his deputy, the mayor of Grozny Bislan Gantamirov. Local leaders in Chechnya have called on the federal center and Kadyrov's pro-Kremlin administration to start direct negotiations with Aslan Maskhadov, who legally remains the president of the Republic. The Kremlin has remained silent, preferring not to make any sensational statements regarding the present situation in Chechnya. Analysts assume that the key problem concerning Chechnya is that there is no clear idea of the Republic's future. What should the region be like after the war is over? Numerous reports on the issue, compiled by governmental experts are more concerned with promoting their authors rather than providing effective schemes for the restoration of the province. Also the authorities are afraid of repeating the mistake committed in 1997 when the Khasavyurt peace agreements were signed, whereupon Russian troops were withdrawn and all efforts to re-establish constitutional order failed. Kadyrov's Saturday statement also demonstrated that there is still no clear understanding of the term "counter-terrorist campaign" and its goals. The situation in the republic is far more complicated than the dry wording of military reports, abundant with phrases such as "successful disarmament of bandit formations" and "elimination of international terrorist bases". What is more, the authorities cannot hide the fact that the situation in Chechnya is deteriorating with each day. The abduction of the U.S. citizen Kenneth and the subsequent decision by foreign humanitarian missions to suspend their activities in Chechnya, constant ambushes, shootings and attempts on lives of pro-Moscow Chechens, human rights violations, uncoordinated actions of special services and military units are all testimony of the fact that the federal center has failed to introduce law and order in the republic. However, withdrawing troops could lead to an escalation of bloodshed and lawlessness. Against the background of all these factors, a delegation from the Parliamentarian Assembly of the Council of Europe, headed by Lord Frank Judd arrived in Chechnya on Sunday to determine the future of Russia's membership in the Council of Europe and to decide whether Russia's voting rights within the organisation will be reinstated at the forthcoming PACE session at the end of January. Lord Judd said at a news conference Sunday that the delegation would meet with Chechen civilians and with representatives of the civil and military administrations, including the Russian human resources envoy in Chechnya Vladimir Kalamanov. END |