ICHKERIA, "Salam..."
Selected news and articles, (updt. Apr. 20, 97)
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After the Elections
14 April 1997 President of the Chechen republic Aslan
Maskhadov has left Grozny for Saudi Arabia today. He is going
to make a Moslem pilgrimage -- Hadj. First vice-premier of the
Chechen government Movladi Udugov and Maskhadov's
press-secretary went out to Mekka as well.
APRIL 8 1997 RIA NOVOSTI - The first airplane
carrying Chechen pilgrims on board will leave the Sheikh Mansur
airport to head for Saudi Arabia. Direct flights Grozny-Jidda
became possible due to the Russian government who manifested their
goodwill and made the decision to open the temporary checkpoint
"Grozny" in the airport. ... Today Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov
has transferred his powers to Vice President Vakha Arsanov
for the period of his hajj to Saudi Arabia. The date of
Maskhadov's departure to Mecca has not been made public. According
to the unofficial data, the President intends to use for the
pilgrimage the Yak-40 plane at his disposal. The duties of the Prime Minister will
be performed from this day by First Vice Premier Shamil Basayev.
Though the parliament has not yet considered his candidature, the
Chechen President has issued a decree to appoint him acting First
Vice Premier.
APRIL 7 1997 The first out of seven charter
flights with Chechen pilgrims to the Moslem sacred places is
expected to be organized very soon. Chechen President Aslan
Maskhadov declared his wish to participate in hadj. RIA NOVOSTI - A new stage of the
reform of the Chechen bodies of power begins today. The Chechen
Parliament has begun discussing candidates to the Chechen
Cabinet of Ministers. Parliament speaker Ruslan Alikhadzhiyev
told RIA Novosti that the first session will discuss and approve
the appointment of first deputy premiers Shamil Basayev, Movladi
Udugov and Ruslan Gelayev. Most deputies think there
will be no clash of opinion on this issue. Basayev was recommended to the post of first
deputy prime minister by President Aslan Maskhadov. He will
supervise the industries. Local observers think that Basayev will
act as the prime minister when the President will have too much
work or will leave the republic. The bulk of the Chechen
population approve of this appointment, pinning on Basayev
their hopes for checking crime and restoring order in the oil
business.
April 5 1997 Chechen leader says keeps forces
till peace agreed
MOSCOW, April 5 (Reuter) - The president of Chechnya said
Russia was continuing its ``war'' against the breakaway region by
means of an economic blockade and he would not demobilise his
guerrilla army until Moscow signed a lasting peace treaty. ``They are holding us to ransom.
First Cossacks, then checkpoints, now a blockade. This too is
war,'' Maskhadov told ORT, saying he was proposing a treaty
defining relations on the basis of the ceasefire reached last
August. APRIL 5 (RIA
NOVOSTI) - The pilgrims detained on the Russian-Azerbaijani border
on Friday were trying to depart for Saudi Arabia presenting
foreign passports which they have received bypassing Chechnya`s
passport and visa service, Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen
government Movladi Udugov told journalists today...
APRIL 4 1997 By RIA Novosti MOSCOW, APRIL 4.
Appointment of Shamil Basayev as first deputy prime
minister of the Chechen republic "has been dictated by purely
internal considerations and, unfortunately, may have an adverse
effect on the entire negotiating process for the peaceful
settlement of the Chechen crisis." This was stated today by secretary of Russia's
Security Council Ivan Rybkin as he spoke during government hour in
parliament, delivering a report on the political, social and
economic situation in the Chechen republic and prospects for its
further normalisation.
April 2 1997 Chechnya says talks with Moscow at
dead end
MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuter) - Chechen President Aslan
Maskhadov said on Wednesday talks on a lasting peace
settlement between the breakaway region and the Russian government
were at a ``dead end,'' Itar-Tass news agency said. ``Negotiations on the conclusion of
an agreement on the delimitation of authority between Russia and
Chechnya have reached a dead end,'' Maskhadov was quoted as
telling journalists in the Chechen capital Grozny... On Tuesday, Russian media reported
that Maskhadov, who is also prime minister, had appointed Shamil
Basayev, Russia's most wanted man, as his first deputy.... Tass quoted a spokesman for the
Russian prosecutor-general saying an amnesty declared for those
who fought in the Chechen war did not apply to Basayev, who
is wanted for ``terrorism.''
International New provocations - Old provocaturists
APRIL 14 /RIA NOVOSTI. With
Russia's peace-keeping mediation Abkhazia will take active
steps to attract also other forces such as Caucasian
Peoples' Confederation to help in settling
Abkhazia-Georgia issues, said the president of the self-proclaimed
Abkhaz republic, Vladislav Ardzinba. In his words, the recent
developments in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone lead to a
situation when Abkhazia becomes "closer to war than
peace". There are in the Caucasian region, he added,
deep-rooted traditions, forms and methods of resolving conflicts
within one ethnic group and between several groups. The
opportunities of such Caucasian people's diplomacy for preventing
a new war are to be maximally utilised, Ardzinba said.
NEW GEO-POLITICAL ALLIANCES
ON RUSSIA'S SOUTHERN RIM, by Liz Fuller.
April 16, 1997. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
is simultaneously cultivating ties with several of Russia's North
Caucasus republics, including Chechnya. Some Russian observers
suspect Shevardnadze of planning to realize the vision, shared by
his late predecessor Zviad Gamsakhurdia and deceased
Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudaev, of a broader Caucasian
union. They perceive such a configuration as a threat to
the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.
At
Last: Great Historical Discovery ! During his visit to
Ichkeria (27 Oct. 1996) Mr. Ivan Ribkin have delivered to
Chechen Government NEWLY OPENED & UNKNOWN documents of
Russian Foreign Ministry dated 1806-1807 which confirmed that... Chechnya
joined Russian Empire on Chechen's own will. (Russian TV,
23:17, 27 Oct. 1996) Different
historical fact and different will: 
147 000 military, government officials and even
clergy were awarded this medal:
"For the Conquest of Chechnya and Dagestan in 1857-1858
and 1859" by Russian Emperor Alexander II [not 1996 -
Ed.]
Chechen
Congress Declares Independence (28 October 1996, Interfax)
- "The National Congress of the Chechen People,
held in the village of Urus-Martan on Sunday, declared the
full independence of the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria...
The document also confirms that the presidential and parliamentary
elections in Chechnya will be held on January 27, 1997, as
scheduled... The document calls for "the signing of a treaty
on relations between the states of Ichkeria and Russia" and
the withdrawal of all federal troops from Chechnya before
January 27, 1997. "Most delegates of the congress
were in military uniform, intellectuals and industry leaders
were conspicuously absent," press service officials
said..." "Russia
knows very well that it lost this war," said Muslim
Varayev, 20, a Chechen student. "Chechnya is
absolutely independent. The statements [issued by negotiators]
are just two pieces of paper and words."
Change your OLD German "BMW" for NEW
Russian "BMW" !!! A BTR80 armoured personnel carrier with a full
compliment of arms (150 14.5-mm cartridges, 1,000 7.62-mm
cartridges, 2 Mukha grenade launchers, 2 AK74 assault rifles, a
two-way radio) - USD 11,000-19,000 (Grozny, Ichkeria). Chechen - English beginners
vocabulary: German "BMW" -- "Boevaya Mashina
Wainakha" ("Wainakh's [Chechen's] Armoured
Vehicle")
PROGNOSES:
Liz Fuller vs. Alexander Sergeev
Organization 'Liz Fuller'
is most prominent and durable Western research Center for Caucasus
& Kremlinoligist. See her/his/their's:
Whither
Chechnya: Peace or Anarchy? 4 September 1996,
Vol. 1, No. 317. (OMRI) ..."Fresh fighting between
Zavgaev's and Yandarbiev's supporters cannot be ruled out.
The political situation remains unclear:
Yandarbiev's men appear to be in control of Grozny"...
"There are signs, however, that Zavgaev, who has said that
his "sense of moral responsibility" will
not allow him to step down as head of state, may not be prepared
to yield power without a struggle: over the past week, Russian
media have reported that his supporters are in the process
of creating [first time - Ed.] their own military
formations in those raions of Chechnya that traditionally opposed
first Dudaev and then Yandarbiev -- i.e. Nadterechnyi and Urus
Martan"... "Lebed's euphoric pronouncement that "the
war in Chechnya is over" may, in short, prove to be
premature". Alexander
Sergeev is less known analyst of Caucasus. See his:
THE GREAT
CHECHEN HEIST: Chechnya Wants to Bleed Russia for RR 100
Trillion, Makes No Promises to Stop Pillage. By Alexander
SERGEYEV. "Chechnya became the black hole of the Russian
economy way back last year"... "The [Chechen] republic
operates about 600 mini-oil refineries, mostly illegal,
constructed in 1995-96, and the mini-bakeries bake more bread than
Chechnya can eat. The food markets are as plentiful as those in
Moscow, and the prices are lower"... "The idle
facilities of the oil producing and processing enterprises can be
restarted in a few months' time"... "the Chechens
are viewing independence not as the formation of an independent
economy, but rather as an optimal regime of sponging, i.e. being
free of all Russian laws and regulations, making any Ichkerian
(Chechen) exempt to Russian jurisdiction, and having total freedom
to do what they want in Russia"... "Being unable to
feed Chechnya (either by way of subsidies or by providing objects
for robbery), Moscow should allow Chechnya to make money on a
union with Russia, rather than confrontation with it. One way is
to pump oil through the republic's territory"...
(Interfax-Argumenty i Fakty No. 40) Watch Zavgaev metamorphoses:
All
Offices Of Pro-Moscow Chechen Cabinet Sealed After Its
Dismissal. GROZNY, Nov 18 (Interfax) - ...the members of
the old government have speedily left the
airport: some flew to Moscow, others were helicoptered
to Znamenskoye, in Nadterechny district. Office workers left
the airport disappointed by their former bosses because they
did not receive their salaries, the source said.
See also: OIL, Berezovskiy &
Co ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEPUTY OF THE STATE DUMA VIEWS CHECHNYA AS
DE FACTO INDEPENDENT STATE. IN HIS VIEW, RUSSIA SHOULD BUILD REAL
DEFENSIVE FRONTIER AROUND CHECHNYA .."because Chechnya
is an aggressive state in relation to Russia"... RUSSIAN
INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL CRITICIZES ICHKERIA INTERIOR MINISTER'S
DEMAND, OCTOBER 15, RIA-NOVOSTI .."According to that
[President Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev's] decree provisions, the federals
(Russian troops included) will no longer take any part in
maintaining law and order in that republic"... Chechnya: Russian Military Reports
Minor Skirmishes,16 October 1996 (RFE/RL) .."Four
Russian soldiers were wounded overnight when Chechen
separatists opened fire at Russian military checkpoints in the
breakaway republic"... DOES CHECHNYA NEED A FREE ECONOMIC ZONE?
Marina Shakina, political analyst Shakhrai's latest
brain wave, which he thinks should give a boost to
normalisation in Chechnya, is to set up a free economic zone
in the republic. An assessment of this proposal invites above all
a parallel with neighbouring Ingushetia--a related republic which
has had such a zone functioning for several years now. Economic
experts, who have a sense of humour, point out that since the
end of 1991 Chechnya has been an economic zone free of any control
anyway and remains one to this day, and the separatists are
not going to ask for any "go-ahead" from Moscow. "Why
not suggest a free economic zone on Mars?," was the
response by well-known liberal-minded economist Andrei Illarionov.
...Most likely, Shakhrai's idea points up a kind of deadlock in
which Chechen settlement finds itself. Politically, the peace
process is just barely moving. In effect, Yandarbiyev
separatists have come to power, and things have come to a halt.
As for Shakhrai's proposal, it is an attempt to find an
economic detour in relations with the problems territory.
(RIA Novosti, October 18) Russian
Authorities Demand Time On Chechen TV. (27 October 1996,
Interfax) - Valentin Vlasov, the Russian co-chairman of the
Joint Commission for Chechnya, said Russian federal
authorities must be given an opportunity to speak on Chechen TV...
He said he had discussed this question with Movladi Udugov, the
minister for information and the press in the Chechen opposition
government, who promised "to help solve this
problem."... "In comment on the Congress of the
Chechen People held in Urus-Martan earlier on Sunday, he said that
the main speakers, including President of the self-proclaimed
Republic of Ichkeria Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, spoke the Chechen
language. "As we had no interpreter, I cannot say
anything on the issue", said Vlasov... "Although
Vlasov was planning to speak at the Congress, the organizers
simply ignored his request," he said"...
Urus Martan "Drama"
-- 15/16 & 27 Oct. 1996: CHECHEN GUERILLAS
SEIZE URUS-MARTAN TODAY, OCTOBER 15, RIA-NOVOSTI
.."Until recently, Urus-Martan district with its 200,000
residents was regarded as one of the main
"bulwarks" of Chechen republican leader Doku Zavgayev"... STORM OF
URUS-MARTAN ENDS UP WITH CASUALTIES, OCTOBER 15, RIA
NOVOSTI'S .."Ruslan Galaev's fighters who numbered 500
seized at the dawn the building of the city administration, the
police and post offices and proclaimed Urus-Martan "one of
the districts of Ichkeria". Yesterday, Gelaev's fighters made
an attempt to seize the Znamenskoye village in the Nadterechny
district..." MOSCOW
REFUTES STATEMENTS ON SEIZURE OF URUS-MARTAN, OCTOBER 15,
/FROM RIA NOVOSTI/ -- ..." but ... a task force has been
alerted and is now waiting for the take-off command at the
military airport "Chkalovsky" outside Moscow... about
3,000 rangers are now awaiting in Chkalovsky a 2.5-hour flight
to the airport "Severny" in Grozny"... REPORT ABOUT
CAPTURE OF URUS MARTAN A CANARD LAUNCHED BY DOKU ZAVGAYEV'S
ASSOCIATES TO DESTABILISE SITUATION IN CHECHNYA, SAYS SPOKESMAN
FOR RUSSIA'S SPECIALISED SERVICES, October 15 RIA Novosti... SEPARATISTS
AND ZAVGAYEV SUPPORTERS DID EXCHANGE FIRE IN URUS MARTAN,
NUMBER OF WOUNDED BEING ESTABLISHED, SAYS NORTH CAUCASIAN
MILITARY DISTRICT CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL POTAPOV, /RIA
NOVOSTI/ RUSSIAN
TROOPS WON'T INTERFERE IN CHECHEN CLAN SHOWDOWNS, GEN.
VLADIMIR POTAPOV SAYS , OCTOBER 16, RIA-NOVOSTI ZAVGAEV'S
SOURCE: URUS-MARTAN RESIDENTS THREATEN USE OF FORCE, IF
CHECHEN SEPARATISTS DON'T LEAVE, OCTOBER 16, RIA NOVOSTI
..."Urus-Martan residents have delivered an ultimatum to the
Chechen separatists who have seized several buildings in the
centre of the city, including the seat of administration and the
Islamic University, and set up perimeter defence there... number
of Dudaev's fighters in the city fluctuates from 500 to 1,200"... Last event: ..."Moscow-backed Chechen leader Doku
Zavgayev... and most of his administration have now left
Chechnya"... Last event: + The Chechen
People's Congress, happened in Urus-Martan (27 Oct. 1996)
Over 1,500 delegates representing all layers of the Chechen
population, representatives of local Chechen administrations
and the separatist leadership (President Z.Jandarbiyev)
confirmed the date of the elections during the congress.
THE
DUDAYEV PHENOMENON AS NASCENT FASCISM, By Dmitry
Panin [http://www.maindir.gov.ru/Administration/Eng/Information/Eep018.txt] CHECHEN BLOOD IS ON OUR
HANDS, by Eric Margolis. ..."President Bill Clinton
claimed this week that Iran and Libya are the world's worst
perpetrators of state terrorism. This is untrue, and he knows
better. The worst perpetrator of terrorism is his ally, Boris
Yeltsin's Russia." STALIN'S GHOST RISES FROM
THE GRAVE by Eric Margolis..."As Stalin's ghost was
rising from the grave, western media and political leaders
remained curiously mute. Ever since Washington declared the Cold
War over and won in 1991, the western media and politicians have
refused to see the obvious facts about Russia. Namely, that Moscow
is slowly, painfully reforming the old Soviet empire.
...Belarus is being drawn back into Russia's orbit. Kazakstan,
Uzbekistan and Kyrgizstan are already half way re- integrated.
Russian troops are fighting in the Caucasus and Tajikistan.
Russian arms and agents are flowing into war-torn Afghanistan. 'Independent'
Armenia and Georgia have become Russian protectorates"... AMERICA ABETS RUSSIA'S
CRIMES IN THE CAUCASUS, by Eric Margolis ..."Shockingly,
President Clinton keeps supporting Russia's criminal war in
Chechnya. He personally rammed a new, US $ 10.2 billion loan for
Yeltsin through the IMF, half of which will go to pay for the war.
Clinton even publically endorsed the war, saying that he backed
Russia's need to `maintain its territorial integrity.' ...Last
month, US Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced in
Moscow that US-Russian relations were `excellent,' - at
the very moment Russian forces were exterminating large numbers of
Chechen civilians. While Clinton anguished on TV over terror
attacks that left 63 Israelis dead, he remained mute over Soviet
terrorism in Chechnya that killed 600 times more civilians. ...The
respected Georgian writer, Melor Sturua, a columnist
for the leading Russian newspaper, `Izvestia,' wrote recently of
America's disgraceful silence over Chechnya: `I remember a time
when the arrest of even one Soviet dissident would create a storm
of indignation here(in the US). Soviet embassies were picketed,
Soviet goods boycotted, Soviet crimes were condemned.' Congress
imposed trade sanctions on the USSR to force it to allow Jewish
emigration to Israel. Today, after Russia slaughters 42,000
Chechens, Washington gives Moscow US $10.2 billion"... Stephen
Foye, Coordinator of Russian and Eurasian Studies Program,
CSIS ..."we have to understand that the Russians are very
concerned that Chechnya's freedom could ultimately start a domino
effect, because there are other people within Russia itself, other
peoples, who would very much like their freedom, who have at
least talked about that. So the Russians certainly fear this...
Russia, very much as it did in the 19th century, as it did
throughout the Soviet period, wanted to project influence in the
Caucasus. That is something we cannot leave out of sight when we
look at what's happening in Chechnya, because Russia's actions in
Chechnya are part of a greater effort of intimidation and
manipulation that we've seen in Georgia, in Armenia and in
Azerbaijan... The capital city of Grozny, a city of about 400,000
people has been devastated. The pictures are shocking...
Virtually, I think, every Chechen has lost a member of their
family, or a close friend... Boris Yeltsin... hoped that a
quick victory in Chechnya would resuscitate his own political
standing in Russia"... Chechenya:
The next victim after the Nagorno-Karabaugh (Pax Christi) ASLAN MASKHADOV ON
RUSSIAN-CHECHEN RELATIONS , RIA Coucil
of Europe: Assembly Head will not Meet Chechnya's Chimayev,
Strasbourg, 26 September 1996 (RFE/RL) Chechnya:
Council Of Europe Cancels Hearing, Strasbourg, 24 September
1996 (RFE/RL) YANDARBIYEV IS
THINKING OF GOING TO MOSCOW (RIA)(Nezavisimaya Gazeta,
October 3) ..."Yandarbiyev apparently will talk in Moscow about
the withdrawal of troops from Chechnya, about compensation for
physical damage caused by the war, about the payment of
compensations to each family of the deceased. The Khasavyurt
agreements, he thinks, have only confirmed Chechnya's status of
independence. Yandarbiyev did not rule out the possibility of
Chechnya's joining the CIS. Avturkhanov, Khadzhiyev and
Zavgayev, according to his statement, are accused of organising
the Russian aggression. But Ruslan Khasbulatov "is
no longer the kind of man he was yesterday, he is defending the
independence of Chechnya." STATE DUMA
DEPUTY STANISLAV GOVORUKHIN ADVOCATES BUILDING REINFORCED
BORDER WITH CHECHNYA OCTOBER 2, /RIA NOVOSTI/ ..."armed
formations, loyal to Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, are infiltrating
Nadterechny district of Chechnya. "Oil wells, from which
oil is rapaciously extracted by Yandarbiyev's supporters, are
situated in two points on this territory""...(RIA
NOVOSTI OCT. 3) The
Chechen War Resumes In Moscow, By Paul Goble, Washington,
4 October 1996 (RFE/RL) YANDARBIEV,
CHERNOMYRDIN SIGN FURTHER AGREEMENT. OMRI Daily Digest, 4 Oct
96. ..."Yandarbiev told Russian TV (RTR) that "the
nature of relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen
Republic will be decided over a protracted period ... we
have a minimum of about five years." YANDARBIEV
GOES TO MOSCOW, KHASBULATOV ARRIVES IN GROZNY OMRI Daily
Digest, 4 Oct 96. ..."on 2 October, former Russian
parliament speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov arrived in Grozny to
attend the congress of the People's Union for Rebirth Party which
he chairs''... WITHDRAWAL
OF 7TH AIRBORNE DIVISION FROM CHECHNYA IS DUE TO START TODAY.
Oct 9, 1996. (RIA) ..."no splendid ceremonies are expected on
this occasion at the main Russia military base in Khankala.
Yesterday a train with the personnel and equipment of the 166th
Brigade of the Defence Ministry was dispatched towards its
place of permanent stationing"... ..."Kulikov
claimed that leaders of rebel factions had decided to send armed
groups to Moscow to establish control over commercial banks
and businesses that had earlier been under the
"protection" of Chechen mobs. He warned that bloody turf
wars could result between Russian and Chechen gangs"...
(OMRI), Oct. 9, 1996 MOSCOW
POSTURES OVER BALTIC TIES WITH CHECHNYA. (OMRI) ..."In
recent meetings with the Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian
ambassadors, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov
threatened that Moscow will sever diplomatic relations
[MAXIMUM!!! - Ed.] with any country that recognizes Chechnya as
an independent state, RTR reported on 7 October"... WHAT RUSSIANS
THINK ABOUT THE CHECHEN WAR: "DO YOU THINK CHECHNYA IS A
PART OF RUSSIA OR AN INDEPENDENT STATE? 31% of the respondents
said it is an independent state... IS PRESIDENT YELTSIN ACTING
CORRECTLY IN CHECHNYA? No - 46.1%... DO YOU THINK THE CHECHEN WAR
WILL BE RESUMED OR WILL END SOON? Don't know - 33.6%... SHOULD
RUSSIA RESTORE THE RUINED CHECHEN ECONOMY? No - 49.9%... DO YOU
AGREE THAT RUSSIA LOST THE WAR AND CAPITULATED? Yes - 44.6%...
DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAW ALL
FEDERAL FORCES FROM CHECHNYA AND RECOGNISE ITS SECESSION
FROM THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AS A SOVEREIGN STATE FULLY INDEPENDENT
OF RUSSIA? Yes, completely - 35.3%, Yes, mostly - 27.6%"
[= 62.9%]... (Argumenty i Fakty No. 40.) CHECHNYA OR ICHKERIA?
By Valentin KUNIN, ..."Federal troops continue to be
withdrawn from its territory without any incidents and under an
approved schedule... Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev... said that the
matter of the status had never bothered the Chechen side and that
the point at issue could only be the nature of relations between
the Russian Federation and the Chechen republic of Ichkeria on
the basis of generally recognised norms and principles of
international law... Similar statements have also been
repeatedly made by Aslan Maskhadov"... (RIA Novosti,
October 23)
Somebody's NERVES...
KHASAVYURT PEACE AFTER LEBED.
By Vyacheslav IGRUNOV... "Yandarbiyev allegedly said
that independent Ichkeria cannot exist without an outlet to the
sea. I believe that he said this. Peter the
Great was guided by the same logic when he defeated Sweden
in a bid to open a window to Europe for Russia. Basayev allegedly
said he can take Makhachkala in a matter of two hours. I
believe this, too, for I have heard something similar to
this said recently... Vainakh relatives of Chechens -- Akkins
-- more and more often speak about seceding from Daghestan and
joining Ichkeria... This is not the only vector of Chechnya's
expansion. The main thrust will go towards the Black Sea...
Last, the more stronger it will grow, because Ichkeria will
strengthen its army, establish normal relations with all its
allies in the Islamic world and win the moral support of Turkey,
Azerbaijan and Ukraine [but not Shevardnadze's Georgia --
Ed.], which are interested--each in its own manner--in
weakening Russia in the Caucasus and the Black Sea... And
then, there is such factor as nerves. Somebody may lose
their nerVe"... (Obshchaya Gazeta, Oct., No. 42,
1996) |
