Posted on 09/08/2004 12:44:57 PM PDT by ohioconservative
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday called for a "clear and careful analysis" of last week's hostage drama at a school in southern Russia and argued that parliament should be involved in the investigation.
President Vladimir Putin has said his government will conduct an internal investigation into the attack in Beslan in North Ossetia but argued that a parliamentary probe could turn into a "political show."
"The public expects a clear and careful analysis of this situation," Gorbachev told reporters in Hamburg, where he was attending a conference. He added that it would be appropriate "if this happens with the participation of parliament and the public."
Gorbachev, speaking through an interpreter, argued that the effort to free the hostages "went as badly as it could have done."
Russian officials say 326 hostages were killed and 727 wounded after terrorists seized the school. The siege ended Friday in a wave of explosions and gunfire.
While Gorbachev advocated a public investigation of the hostage drama, the former Soviet leader rejected suggestions that Russia needed outside involvement to help end the conflict in Chechnya.
"Russia is capable of solving the problem there itself," he said.
Did they ever order a public investigation of the 1991 Vilnius Massacre that Gorbachev ordered?
... everyone else can strike at those who killed ~400 innocent women and children.
We have our Jimmah, they have their Gorby.
Gorbachev is still alive?
No, seriesly. Few men have fallen as swiftly and deeply into complete irrelevance as he has.
My reaction to the headline: One of the innocent children at school taken hostage and killed by Islamists also had a seizure?
wow he sounds just like our democrat senators.... coincidence ???.... I think not.
I have a problem with the term "hostage". The terrorist intent was to kill as many people as possible. Terrorist don't take hostages, they kill people.
I disagree with your objection to the term hostage. They were indeed hostages.
The ultimte purpose of terrorists it to terrorize, not to kill. The killing is the means to the larger goal of terrorizing many more. The children, while they were alive, were hostages. The purpose of them being hostages was to drag the horror on as long as possible. Indeed, if the purpose of the terrorists had been merely to kill, they could have finished killing them all in a matter of less than an hour...but they did not. They did not to maximize the extent and duration of the horror. The terrorists will use whatever means they have to commit terror. That includes killing children, taking hostages, causing ethnic strife, sowing distrust of government and infrastructure and transportation, and as soon as they have the ability, using WMD. These Islamists are not merely murderers....they are even worse.
Liberals will be having Gorbasms.
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