INFORMATION 14/2-2004:

Open letter to Anders Fogh Rasmussen (tr. by N.S.)

By OUSMAN FERZAOULI, Deputy Foreign Minster of the Chechen Republic, living in Denmark

Dear Prime Minister!

On page 147 in the book "At the Head of Europe" [I spidsen for Europa], you are quoted of describing the Chechens by the following terms: "criminal fanatics", "a gang of killers" and "they aren't waging a legitimate struggle for independence, he said".

I am of course aware of the fact that you didn't write the book yourself, and that the quotations don't necessarily cover what you actually said.

Both as a Chechen private person and as an official representative of the  Republic of Chechnya, I am seriously offended by the mentioned statements, which deny Chechnya's honourable intentions. The quoted statements are especially harmful, because a person in your position is normally regarded as being well-informed about the situation in Chechnya.

I sincerely hope that you will contradict the quoted statements, simply because they don't cover your opinions about the issue.

I would like to get a clear statement from you, in which you distance yourself from the quoted statements. This is necessary in order to make it clear that you support the attitude expressed by several Danish foreign ministers, that the Chechen nation has a fully legitimate cause in its struggle for independence.

If the quoted offending statements aren't contradicted by you, and thus must be regarded as an authentic and loyal record of your statements at the given occasion, I am ready to pursue the case by all available means.

I am looking forward to an unambiguous and clarifying statement to decide the question once and for all. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Link to the Danish original: http://www.information.dk/Indgang/VisArkiv.dna?pArtNo=20040214155884.txt