18 Dec 2003

Russia oil blinds West to Chechen issue, says rebel

By Sujata Rao

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - An exiled Chechen rebel leader said on Thursday the West's growing appetite for Russian oil blinded it to the Kremlin's human rights abuses in Chechnya.

"The West is flirting with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and this of course is linked to its need for Russia's energy resources," Akhmed Zakayev told Reuters.

"This is clearly pragmatism but in this case it is criminal pragmatism, in fact a form of racism," said Zakayev. "Chechnya is part of Europe but where else in Europe would the West allow such human rights abuses to go on for such a long time?"

Zakayev, formerly Chechnya's main peace negotiator with Moscow, is wanted in Russia on charges of murder and kidnapping. He denies the charges and was last month granted political asylum by Britain after a judge said there was a "substantial risk" he could be tortured if extradited to Russia.

This drew ire from Moscow, which accuses the Chechen rebels of links with international terrorist groups and says the conflict is a war on terrorism.

Its troops have been fighting Chechen separatists for over nine years and were forced to withdraw in 1997. They returned in 1999 but have failed to completely subdue the insurgency.

While Europe and the United States have criticised the Kremlim's campaign in Chechnya, analysts say its need for Russian oil and keenness to reduce dependence on the volatile Middle East have forced it too seek friendly terms with Putin.

Russia, the world's second biggest oil producer, is rapidly boosting production and export of crude.

Putin, who said on Thursday he would run for second presidential term next year, is also seen as a valuable ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Zakayev said a Putin victory next year, which is widely expected, would dash any hopes of peace in the near future.

Putin has made the restoration of Russian rule in Chechnya a priority of his presidency.

"As long as Putin is in power a peaceful resolution of the problem is impossible," Zakayev said in a speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.

"I believe Russia and Chechnya are incapable of resolving this problem themselves, the West will have to mediate. But in order to have good relations with Putin, people seem to have decided to sacrifice the Chechen people."

NATIONALISM, FASCISM

He said the war had helped stoke nationalist and fascist movements, which could in time spill across Russian borders. "Fascist and nationalist groups are gaining ascendancy in Russia. This is far more dangerous than the mythical international terrorists Putin is fighting in Chechnya," he said, referring to the gains made by extreme right groups in Russia's recent parliament election.

Zakayev acknowledged the Chechen cause had lost some of the West's sympathy because of frequent attacks on Russian civilian targets, including a raid on a Moscow theatre a year ago and recent deadly suicide bombings on trains and shopping streets.

If a political solution is not found soon, Europe will find itself inundated by Chechen refugees, Zakayev said.

"But this is not the only thing. War is like fire -- it has a tendency to spread," he said. "The conflict is already outside Chechen borders and in four years it will spread even further. "It is in Russia's and the West's interest to stop it now."