Well, pals! I should draw the reader's attention

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Well, pals! I should draw the reader's attention to the next extraordinary statement of former Maskhadov's emissary to the Western Europe. As his announcement indicates, Chechen government has chosen new tactics in its "struggle against genocide and war crimes, committed by Russians in Chechnya". At the end of his speech A. Zakaev said in fact that "justifying the terrible crimes of Putin's clique on Chechen ground", Western powers are pushing many Chechen people into carrying extremist acts! In other words Chechen rebels are being manipulated by radical extremists who are at war with the West. It is obvious Chechen militants turn into terrorists step by step. And why should we support terrorists? However, see for yourself! Here I give the text of latest Zakaev's statement.

The announcement of Akhmed Zakaev

First of all, on behalf of the Chechen Government and personally I would like to congratulate mister Tomas Hammerberg on election on an honourable and responsible post of the Commissioner of the Euro Council under human rights. We sincerely hope, that Mr. Hammerberg, possessing rich and productive experience in right protecting activity, and representative of Sweden, that is the country known for its famous traditions in the field of protection of human rights, definitely will change the attitude of the Council of Europe to long-term tragedy of Chechen people in the positive direction.

It is about 11 years that military aggression of Russia against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and occupation of its territory have been continuing. During the years of two wars the quarter of the population of the Chechen Republic, more than 250 thousand peace inhabitants, including 42 thousand children died because of the limitless use of aircraft, artillery and other means of destruction including forbidden by the international conventions, and also because of reprisals of the Russian armies and special services. The whole industrial and cultural infrastructure of the country is completely destroyed, tens of towns and settlements are laying in ruins, hundreds thousand of inhabitants remained homeless, about third of population of the Chechen Republic became refugees and have dissipated worldwide. The rest who stayed in their native land are actually transformed into powerless hostages in hands of the Russian invaders, both their lives and freedom are absolutely not guaranteed. In the territory of CHRI are located more than 30 concentration camps in which thousands of Chechen citizens are exposed to monstrous tortures and humiliations, new kidnappings and murders of people happen every day, prodpers such wild phenomenon as trade in corpses.

All these cases are being documentarily fixed by Chechen, Russian and western right protecting associations, and there are few people in the world who have the doubts that Russia is accomplishing one of the heaviest crimes against humanity - systematic destruction of all people. This happens openly, cynically, before the eyes of the whole world. Inspite of it, the authoritative international organizations created with a view of maintenance of basic rights of people and peoples, not only do not support Chechen people, but, on the contrary, in every possible way promote continuation of its genocide, indulging the Kremlin for the sake of frankly tactical purposes, and justifying with hypocritical announcements the terrible crimes of a fascist clique of Putin on the Chechen ground. And it is quite natural that under such conditions Chechen rebel have to resort to force, in other words to very unpopular and even radical measures. But these drastic measures are dictated by present-day situation in Chechnya. And the West should recognize that without its real support in solving problem of our people such savage methods of struggle become the only effective ones.

Sincerely it would be desirable to hope, that the new Commissioner of the Council of Europe under human rights Mr. Hammerberg do not stand aside from the tragedy being experienced today by our people, and will manage to return trust to Chechens of those raised principles and ideals on which base the building of the United Europe is built.

Akhmed Zakaev

Vice-premier of the Chechen Government