Chechen president pleads for US help
By Marcus Warren in Moscow
News from
Chechnya
Russia stages new
air raids in
Chechnya [7 Nov '99
- Russia Today]
Chechnya brief -
Andrei Sakharov
Foundation
In the borderlands of
Hell [29 Oct '99] -
Institute for War and
Peace Reporting
CHECHNYA'S president, Aslan Maskhadov, appealed to President Clinton
yesterday to mediate in its war with Russia and save his nation from what he
described as genocide.
In a letter to Mr Clinton he said that he was open
to dialogue and ready to reach a settlement on the
basis of the Chechen people's "right to a free and
secure existence". He said in an interview on
Russia's NTV television: "Civilians have seen with
their own eyes the monstrous barbarism of the
Russian troops.
"We demand that they be swiftly judged as
criminals, especially by the international courts.
Why should Milosevic be the only one? Let Putin
[Russia's prime minister] be judged also. He is
more keen to kill civilians."
Alarmed at the scale of Russia's offensive and rising civilian casualties, the
West has called on Moscow to negotiate with Chechnya. Russia argues that
there is no one with any authority to hold talks with. Although an elected
president, Mr Maskhadov was only one of many rival Chechen leaders in
charge of their own private armies until Russia launched its invasion six weeks
ago.
Now the warlords who reduced their homeland to anarchy have united under
their commander from the last war in the face of a common enemy, the
Russian army. Moscow is hoping to use Chechen allies to win what it says is a
struggle against "terrorists and bandits" but, so far, there is little hard evidence
of division in the Chechen ranks. Russia has backed a number of increasingly
exotic "loyal" Chechens as alternatives to Mr Maskhadov.
A former mayor of Grozny was pardoned last week and released from prison
where he was serving a sentence for embezzlement. The mayor, Beslan
Gantemirov, looks set to succeed a Chechen businessman as Moscow's
ruler-in-waiting for the rebel republic.
Russian guns shelled the capital, Grozny, at the weekend while aircraft
bombed the western, southern and eastern approaches to the city. More than
100 air sorties were reported in 24 hours, making yesterday one of the most
intensive for air strikes since the campaign began.
Russia has stepped up its air attacks on the roads to the Caucasus mountains,
a fall-back position should Chechnya's guerrilla army retreat from Grozny
telegraph.co |
