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Chechen envoy: Russia holds key to war end
MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- It is "Russia's prerogative" to end the long-standing conflict between breakaway Chechnya and the Kremlin, Chechen envoy Akhmed Zakayev said Tuesday.
In an interview published by Moscow's Kommersant daily, Zakayev talked at length about the events that precluded his Sunday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, Viktor Kazantsev.
The meeting at Moscow's international Sheremetyevo-2 airport lasted two hours and aimed to define principles to ensure restoration of peace in the province.
Russian authorities refused to label the meeting "talks," which they said were possible with only one topic on the agenda: the negotiation of terms of the rebels' unconditional surrender.
The meeting was, however, the first direct contact in two years between a rebel representative and a Russian official representing the president.
In late September, Putin addressed the rebels in a televised statement and offered to appoint emissaries who would seek an end to the conflict through contacts with federal authorities.
He also proposed pardons for rebels who voluntarily handed over their weapons and returned to everyday life, on condition they had not been involved in violent crimes.
Although the guerrillas largely shunned the proposal to lay down arms, some contacted the authorities via relatives who inquired about the details behind the proposed measures.
Hours before the expiry of the 72-hour deadline set to act upon the proposal, Zakayev telephoned Kazantsev and requested a meeting, adding he was authorized by self-styled Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov.
In his interview with Kommersant Tuesday, Zakayev said the meeting was organized with the help of Turkey's Liberal-Democratic party and its chairman Besim Tibuk.
Zakayev and Tibuk flew in from Istanbul on a chartered plane that was paid for by Tibuk's party.
The Chechen envoy arrived without bodyguards and explained that earlier statements of Kazantsev and Putin's aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky were "sufficient safety guarantees."
He also said Tibuk's presence was another soothing factor.
However, Zakayev did not leave the airport and the meeting took place in Sheremetyevo-2's VIP lounge.
Zakayev called Kazantsev a "decent and educated man," but refused to talk about the details of their talks.
"We agreed not to disclose the details. Generally, we spoke about the measures required to halt military activities," Zakayev told the paper.
He noted he had gotten to know well Kazantsev, a former army general, during peace talks that sought to terminate the 1994-96 conflict when Moscow attempted to quell the province's independence bid.
According to Zakayev, he and Kazantsev agreed it was necessary to immediately stop the violence, create conditions for the return of Chechen refugees "who are spending the third winter in difficult, inhuman conditions."
There were also disagreements, added Zakayev that "cannot be solved by means of force."
Zakayev said he believed Maskhadov still had the support of the majority of Chechnya's population and dismissed as groundless the assertions separate field commanders such as Shamil Basayev, Ruslan Gelayev and Jordanian mercenary Emir Khattab wielded more power than Maskhadov.
On Monday, Kazantsev played down the results of the meeting, saying Zakayev failed to supply "any practical responses" to Putin's proposal to disarm and reintegrate into Chechnya's civil life.
The two envoys pledged to meet at an unspecified date, but Kazantsev doubted the perspectives of such meeting.
According to Kazantsev, Zakayev promised to consult Maskhadov and "if his words were sincere, the meetings will continue."
"Otherwise, there is no point in meeting again," said Kazantsev.
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