Pro-Kremlin Chechen vice-premier comments on Le Monde article

NewsRu (http://www.newsru.com/russia/15apr2003/army.html (translated by M.L.)

The government of Chechnya has recognized that more than 2,5 thousand  of its inhabitants have disappeared without a trace in the republic.

In two military campaigns in Chechnya have disappeared without a trace more than 2500 residents, it was reported in the republic's government. "According to our information, in the course of the first and second military campaigns in Chechnya disappeared without a trace more than two and one-half thousand  of its residents", reported to Interfax the deputy of  head of the government of the republic Movsur Khamidov, who responsible for links with the power structures and answers to questions about search for those who have disappeared without a trace.

Khamidov specified that in the second Chechen campaign (from the summer of 1999) "without leaving a trace" have disappeared about 1500 people, and in the first (1994-1996) - it is more than 1000 people.

Vice-premier reported that in the republic 49 places of mass grave have been discovered. "In some graves bodies of one or two humans, in some of three-five have been found,  in some - there's is more", he said. The greatest number of mass graves have been discovered in Grozny and in its suburbs.

Khamidov reported an inaccuracy in the information of the French newspaper Le Monde, in which, referring to the report of the Chechen  administration, it was asserted that in 2002 in Chechnya  more than 100 executions of civilians per month was taking place, in mass graves more than 3 thousand corpses have been found. Referring to all data of the same report, he stated that "the numbers given by this newpaper are strongly overstated and do not correspond to reality".