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Iraq war not to affect Chechnya's referendum - official.
ITAR-TASS
March 20, 2003

Chairman of Chechnya's government Anatoly Popov said the war in Iraq will not affect the preparation or voting at the republic's constitutional referendum on March 23.

Popov made the statement on Thursday in the course of the inspection of Chechnya's western districts for readiness for the plebiscite.

"The war in this Moslem country will not affect the adoption of the constitution in the republic, which is very vital for the Chechen people. People will go to the polling stations, and the referendum will be valid," officials at the Chechen government's press service told Itar-Tass by telephone.

Popov who visited voting stations in the Urus-Martan, Achkhoi-Martan and Sunzhensky districts, said they were quite ready for the referendum. He noted lively discussions of constitution's provisions among local residents. Round-the-clock protection was arranged for all voting stations. Communication between them has been stable, and information support for each station has been provided.

Secretary of Chechnya's Election Commission Boka Amayev said the installation of telephones had been completed at all territorial election commissions. Telephone communication has been established with the voting stations in Ingushetia and the military garrisons permanently stationed in the republic.

Reports from Ingushetia said two mobile voting stations will be opened in the town of Karabulak for Chechen refugees living in five tent camps. The other four tent camps eight kilometers from Karabulak will also vote there.

Karabulak was selected as a lock-on place for mobile voting stations because it is convenient for refugees living in other districts of the North Caucasus.

"All those who have the right of the vote and preserved the Chechen registration can take part in the vote," deputy chairman of the Chechen electoral committee Buvaisar Arsakhanov said.

Half of Russians (52 percent) are certain that the referendum, to be held in two days' time, meets the interests of the Chechen people. However, 38 percent of the polled believe there will be no fundamental change in the situation in Chechnya after the referendum. One-third of the polled (33 percent) believe it may aid the restoration of peace in the region. A mere three percent suspect that the situation in Chechnya will deteriorate after the referendum. The others made no comment.

Fifteen hundred Russian men and women participated in the national poll, which was conducted in the middle of March.

Russian President's Aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky believes that no less than two-thirds of the Chechen eligible voters will participate in the referendum. The aide told the RTR television on Thursday that his view formed based on the results of recent public opinion polls in Chechnya.

Yastrzhembsky stressed the importance of the fact that several members of the parliament of the Maskhadov regime supported the referendum idea. According to the official, this testifies to a split in the Maskhadov camp.

"This can be explained by the fact that most moderate and responsible representatives of this camp paid attention to the opinion of the people who have indeed got tired of decades of blood shedding, war, overturns, criminality, tribal conflicts, injustice, etc. , and took steps towards the federal centre in order to find a political way out of this situation, and the referendum creates a favourable opportunity for this," Yastrzhembsky pointed out.

According to him, "a most positive effect" on the attitude of former Maskhadov camp's officials was produced by President Vladimir Putin's address to the Chechen people. Putin's words was a signal to them that the moment of truth has come and it is time to make their choice towards peace.

The official pointed out that the presidential address to the Chechen citizens helped them to make their personal choice. "It is no secret that the people of the Chechen diaspora, especially those living in the Chechen Republic, so far have been quite loyal to the former Maskhadov regime representatives," he said. "So the fact that the real key figures of Maskhadov's camp begin to support a political settlement in Chechnya through a referendum, and call for the beginning of this political process will have a most positive influence and urge many hesitant people to support the Constitution," said Yastrzhembsky.

According to the presidential aide, this will not go unnoticed abroad, first of all, in Europe that was "undecided whether to send its observers to the referendum. " Yastrzhembsky said that a number of influential international organisations, in particular, the Organisation Islamic Conference (OIC) and the League of Arab States, have already confirmed sending their officials to the referendum. The aide pointed out that he expects that the Council of Europe and OSCE representatives will also be present at the plebiscite.

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