#16 - JRL 7286
Gazeta
August 11, 2003
BASAYEV IN EXCHANGE FOR IRAQ
A small victory ahead of President Putin's visit to America
Author: Andrei Reut, Veniamin Ginodman, Rustem Falyakhov, Margarita
Kondratieva, Anastasiya Matveeva
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT HAS EXPRESSED SATISFACTION AT THE LATEST
STATEMENT BY US SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL. AMERICA HAS
DESIGNATED CHECHEN SEPARATIST COMMANDER SHAMIL BASAYEV AS AN
INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST. IS THIS GESTURE MEANT TO PERSUADE MOSCOW TO
CHANGE ITS STAND ON THE MATTER OF IRAQ?
"Basayev has committed, or poses a significant risk of
committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US
nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the
United States," Secretary of State Colin Powell said last Friday,
explaining the decision to add the notorious Chechen to the list of
international terrorists. As it turned out later, Powell had signed a
classified executive order on Shamil Basayev four days previously.
This was intended to enable American secret services to quietly seize
Basayev's bank accounts and assets. But there have been no reports of
any such accounts or assets being found.
The Russian government has expressed satisfaction at Powell's
statement. Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky said that the Bush
administration is "moving in the correct direction." A source in the
presidential administration told us that Powell's statement "paves the
way for joint efforts against international terrorism." The source
admitted, however, that the event was purely political.
"The Americans need our cooperation on the settlement process in
Iraq," said Sergei Karaganov of the Foreign and Defense Policy
Council. "A year or so ago it started to dawn on the United States
that solving the problem of Chechnya by political means alone was
impossible. This is also a gesture indicating rapprochement between
the United States and Russia."
There is one other motive behind the decision of the US State
Department. Vladimir Putin will be visiting the United States in
September. The public has to be prepared for events of this magnitude.
"Both sides are trying to score as many small victories as possible
ahead of the talks," Karaganov said. "It will help them when the major
issue is discussed." The major issue is, of course, Iraq. America
expects Russia to make concessions. Kremlin sources even say that
acting through Putin, Bush may try to resolve problems with other
countries as well - France and Germany. It is common knowledge that
Bush's relations with the leaders of these two countries are much
worse than his relations with Putin.
P.S. CAUCASUS-CENTER.ORG - THE CHECHEN SEPARATIST WEBSITE CLOSED IN
THE UNITED STATES AFTER THE DUBROVKA THEATER HOSTAGE-TAKING IN MOSCOW
- IS BACK IN BUSINESS. IT HAS REOPENED IN LITHUANIA. LITHUANIAN
LAWMAKERS AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ARE DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF CHECHEN
GUERRILLAS, WHOSE LEADER, SHAMIL BASAYEV, HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS AN
INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST. STATE SECURITY STRUCTURES OF LITHUANIA, A
COUNTRY ASPIRING TO MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NATO, ARE IN
NO HURRY TO SHUT DOWN THE WEBSITE. RUSSIA CAN ONLY RELY ON HACKERS,
WHO PENETRATED THE SEPARATIST WEBSITE LAST YEAR.
Aug. 12, 2003:
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