#5
Russia's Putin stands firm on Chechnya war
December 12, 2002
AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to pursue his crackdown on "terrorists" in breakaway Chechnya Thursday as protestors marched through central Moscow to demand an end to the more than three-year conflict.

Putin signed a decree ordering that a referendum be staged in Chechnya on a new constitution to pave the way for elections in the war-torn territory, which the Russian authorities hope will legimitize their rule.

Reaffirming his hard line ruling out any peace talks with Chechen separatists, Putin said that the "anti-terrorist" operation in Chechnya would not be compromised by any political moves. "Terrorists and their sponsors is one thing and the political process is quite another," he was quoted as saying by news agencies at a Kremlin reception to mark Constitution Day.

Meanwhile, some 800 people gathered in the Russian capital under a light snow to call for negotiations between President Putin and Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov.

"Europe and America must stop Putin in Chechnya," "Negotiations now," "Stop the Kremlin's terrorism in Chechnya" proclaimed banners held by protestors in Moscow's Pushkin Square.

Human rights activists and leaders of fringe political parties organised the anti-war protest, the first in Moscow for more than a year and which followed the October theatre siege by Chechen rebels, in which 129 hostages died.

"Before the Moscow hostage-taking, 65 of the population were against the war according to polls. Today, 50 percent are still in favour of talks. Only Putin and his generals want to continue the war," said Lev Ponomarev from the "For Human Rights" organisation.

The turnout, though not as much as the 1,500 people organisers had hoped for, was large in comparison to previous rallies which usually gathered only a few dozen people.

Putin gave Chechnya's pro-Russian administration one month to prepare proposals for the financing and organisation of the referendum, which will be submitted to the Russian government for approval, a Kremlin statement said.

On Wednesday, a congress of pro-Moscow Chechens met to discuss the draft constitution, which is due to be submitted to a referendum next March, and bills on presidential and parliamentary elections that are to follow.

A top Chechen rebel envoy, Akhmed Zakayev, who is fighting extradition from Britain, dismissed the conference, which was switched at the last moment from the regional capital Grozny to Gudermes, 30 kilometres (20 miles) to the east, for fear of rebel attacks.

"You can organise all the congresses and conferences you want, but as long as no decision is taken to start negotiations, the war will continue," the 43-year-old envoy said in comments broadcast on Moscow Echo radio.

Despite regular Russian assertions that life is getting back to normal in the southern republic, federal forces which moved into Chechnya in October 1999 come under daily rebel attack and suffer frequent losses.

Russian has been at war in Chechnya on and off since 1994. The republic gained de facto independence in 1996 but Moscow ordered troops back into the lawless territory in 1999.

The Gudermes congress rejected a proposal by a visiting reformist Russian politician, Boris Nemtsov, that the pro-Russian administration open talks with the rebels.

Nemtsov, who heads the centre-right Union of Rightist Forces, warned that "if the present situation continues until next spring, the referendum will not have the desired results."

But Kadyrov, who has said he intends to stand for president in the post-referendum elections, brushed off the suggestion, saying he "knows who to negotiate with."

The presidential election would probably take place in January 2004, he said.

BACK TO THE TOP    #235 CONTENTS    NEXT ARTICLE