Chechenpress Ahmed Zakayev visits Norway Vice-premier of the Chechen government and Special Representative of the ChRI President to foreign countries Ahmed Zakayev begins a visit to Norway today. Ahmed Zakayev's arrival is expected about 11 a.m. local time. A statement by A. Zakayev in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) with an explanation of the situation in Chechnya is planned for 2 p.m. Meetings with journalists, members of the Norwegian community and Chechen refugees who found shelter in this Scandinavian country are expected as well. Ahmed Zakayev comes to Oslo on invitation by the chairperson of the Socialist Left Party of Norway, Kristin Halvorsen. (Description of the Socialist Left Party snipped) Chechenpress, Division of Operational Information, 08.06.04 http://chechenpress.com/news/2004/06/08/06.shtml Ahmed Zakayev's visit to Norway continues The visit of Vice-premier of the Chechen government and Special Representative of the ChRI President to foreign countries Ahmed Zakayev to Norway continues. The visit is taking place on invtation by the chairperson of the Socialist Left Party of Norway, Kristina Halvorsen.Today, at 2 p.m., in accordance with the timetable of the visit which we reported about in the morning, Ahmed Zakayev gave a report about the real situation in Chechnya at the Norwegian parliament (Storting) to deputies who are members of the parliamentary foreign policy commission. In his statement, Ahmed Zakayev noted in particular that due to the news embargo of the armed conflict between Russia and Chechnya, the Western community gets very few informations about the monstrous crimes committed by the Russian occupiers on the territory of Chechnya, against its population. In connection with this, A. Zakayev drew the attention of the audience to the explicit interrelation between the two phenomena, the total information blockade around Chechnya and the total genocide committed by the Russian military against the Chechen people. The Russian authorities, A. Zakayev noted, won't prevent members of the independent media from visiting Chechnya, if they to some degree followed the norms of international law with respect to the Chechens. In his statement and at a press conference which took place in the building of the Norwegian parliament, Ahmed Zakayev gave attention to the prospects for a political settlement of the Russian-Chechen conflict. "There is no alternative to a peaceful regulation of the problem", A. Zakayev noted. He emphasized that the military activity which has continued for almost five years must convince all unprejudiced observers of the complete utopianism of the calculation that the armed resistance of the Chechen people can be broken by military means. "Meanwhile, the armed struggle between Russia and Chechnya has reached such a degree of mutual bitterness and has lead so deeply into a political blind alley, that without the interference of the international community in the form of the civilized countries - first of all the European ones, since both Chechnya and Russia are part of Europe - the streams of blood will continue to flow, dooming hundreds of thousands of people to death and heavy suffering. The European community must help the Russian government to leave this bloody blind alley and move it toward a peaceful settlement of this tragic situation, from which nobody benefits, neither Russia nor Europe, and Chechnya even less", A. Zakayev stated. Answering a question if the Chechen side had at least some compromise plan about a peaceful regulation of the Russian-Chechen relations, Ahmed Zakayev recalled that the plan of "Conditional Independence", proposed by the Chechen leadership for examination by all interested parties, includes the flexible political components necessary for the achievement of this compromise, and that it makes the international community in the form of the UN the arbiter of the resolution of the conflict. Furthermore, the Chechen leadership agrees with the introduction of international peacemaking forces to Chechnya and with international control of the process of creating an open, democratic society in Chechnya. Many more questions were asked about the plan of "Conditional Independence", to which A. Zakayev gave thorough and detailed answers. After the press conference, Ahmed Zakayev and his companions were invited to visit memorable places of the Norwegian capital. The Chechens visited the place where the Norwegians after a court sentence shot Quisling, whose name has become a term for all national traitors. Then the Chechens visited the memorial erected in honour of the Norwegian patriots who gave their lives in the fight with the Hitlerian occupiers during World War II. While visiting these places, the Norwegians repeatedly asserted to Ahmed Zakayev that they see no difference between the just retribution which hit the traitors Quisling and Kadyrov, and that they regard the soldiers of the Chechen Resistance as the same heroes and patriots of their country as the Norwegians who fell by the hands of the Hitlerian occupiers. Ahmed Zakayev's visit received wide public resonance in Norway. We soon hope to publish a more detailed report about the trip of the special representative of the Chechen president to this Scandinavian country. Chechenpress, Division of Operational Information, 09.06.04 http://chechenpress.com/news/2004/06/09/01.shtml [Translation by N.S.] Russia sees Zakayev trip to Norway as provocation 10.06.2004, 20:35 MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) - Russia considers the arrival of Maskhadov's political emissary Akhmed Zakayev in Norway as "a provocation by those forces who disapprove of positive political tendencies in the development of the Russian-Norwegian dialogue," the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday. "Russia was puzzled by reports on the arrival in Norway of Zakayev, who is suspected of grave crimes and who was put on the international most-wanted list, as well as by reports on his meetings with representatives of the Norwegian political establishment," the ministry emphasized. "If this is once again explained by a certain `bid to get objective data' on the situation in the Chechen republic, the choice is by no means a happy one," a foreign ministry statement said. "Zakayev left Russia back in 2001, and besides he can not be considered as a reliable source of information in principle," it added. "Russia could recommend for those aims influential and real participants in the processes of political settlement as well as social and economic restoration underway in Chechnya," the Foreign Ministry statement emphasized. "It is most likely, that the invitation of Zakayev was brought about by somebody's desire to `balance' visible positive tendencies in the development of the Russian-Norwegian political dialogue and cooperation," the ministry added. "We consider this as a provocation by those forces who disapprove of such tendencies," the statement said. "Zakayev's voyage to Norway looks all the more offensive in conditions when his allies continue condemned by the international community terrorist acts in the Chechen republic," the ministry stressed. They emphasized that "Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov, in particular, was killed in one of those terrorist acts". "The Zakayev's case has not been dismissed, Russia insists on his extradition or prosecution," the ministry reported. "We expect that the official Oslo will not only clearly express its stance in the existing situation, but will fully fulfill its commitments as participant in the anti-terrorist coalition," the ministry emphasized. -AP
Note from the ChRI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (with regard to the Russian reaction to Ahmed Zakayev's stay in Norway), June 11, 2004 The MFA of the ChRI has reliable informations that the Russian Federation has made another demand for the extradition of Vice-premier of the Chechen Government and Special Representative of the ChRI President Ahmed Zakayev, who is staying in Norway on an official visit. In connection with the circumstance that the MFA of the Russian Federation reacts very negatively to positive political contacts of the legitimate Chechen government outside the ChRI, the ChRI Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authorized to state that the leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular the MFA of the RF, is misleading the world community and attempting to interfere with the internal affairs of sovereign states. The MFA of the ChRI declares that it is bewildered about the inadequate reaction of the Russian Foreign Policy Department, which stimulates the terrorist activity of the Russian secret services on the territory of sovereign countries by using diplomatic channels for the transportation of armament and explosives. The ChRI MFA expresses its confidence that the Norwegian authorities won't follow the terrorist claims of the Russian state. First Deputy Foreign Minister of the CHRI Usman Ferzauli. Chechenpress, Division of Operational Information, 11.06.04 http://chechenpress.com/news/2004/06/11/15.shtml
http://top.rbc.ru/index.shtml?/news/society/2004/06/11/11225046_bod.sh tml (quick tr. by N.S.) 11.06.2004 |