Russia Blasts U.S. 'Unfriendly Step' on Chechnya (US meets envoy representing Chechen separatists)

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | Thursday January 24 11:04 AM ET | Reuters

[Pericles]

Thursday January 24 11:04 AM ET

Russia Blasts U.S. 'Unfriendly Step' on Chechnya

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States on Thursday of an ``unfriendly step'' in receiving an envoy representing Chechen separatists, and urged Washington to stand by its commitment to fight terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry said it had been surprised by the Washington meeting on Wednesday between a State Department official and Ilyas Akhmadov, ``foreign minister'' of Chechnya's separatist leaders.

``...Such contacts, no matter what the justification, cannot be seen as anything other than an unfriendly step toward Russia, contradicting the spirit of cooperation and partnership of both countries in acting against international terrorism,'' a ministry statement said.

It said there was increasing proof of links between Chechen separatists, whom Russia has been battling in two post-Soviet campaigns, and Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda group the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan.

``Linked to this there is one question: whether the American side is finding itself in the grip of old stereotypes and continues to divide terrorists into 'good ones' and 'bad ones,''' the statement said.

Russia used almost identical language in a protest to Britain earlier this week over a London meeting between a Foreign Office official and a representative of rebel Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov.

A Maskhadov envoy met a Kremlin representative at a Moscow airport last November, for the only peace talks in two-and-a-half years of war. But no one has since returned to the negotiating table.

Akhmed Zakayev, the separatist envoy, told Reuters on Thursday that the rebels were in telephone contact with the Kremlin. But there are no immediate plans to relaunch talks.

Moscow has been engaged in its second post-Soviet military campaign in Chechnya since 1999, after two years of fighting ended in 1996 with an embarrassing withdrawal.

Russian troops now control most of Chechnya on the country's southern flank and have installed pro-Moscow local authorities. But rebels regularly attack Russian army convoys, and scores of pro-Moscow officials have been killed in explosions or ambushes.

Putin's support for the U.S.-led anti-terrorist drive and insistence that Chechen fighters were linked to the Al Qaeda group held responsible for the September 11 airline attacks led to a softening of Western criticism of Russia's military drive.

But as the Afghan campaign winds down, Western countries, including the United States, have resumed criticism of Moscow's tactics, accusing Russian troops of using excessive force.

[CommiesOut]

The Arabs used to say, “an ignorant friend is better than a knowledgeable foe.” But what can one do with an ignorant foe?

[CommiesOut]

Good policy?
Remember: P.R. and polls are most important.
More

[Don Joe]

It would appear that the letters c, o, and n fell of the front of your name -- again.

[Stavka2]

Their neighbors? You mean an integral part of Russia that was under bandit and Jihad control and was being used as a staging grounds for further Islamic expansion? So tell me, how much do the Saudies pay you to shill or are you as Stalin put it "a useful idiot"?

[Stavka2]

Hay little man, not having luck with local small time US newspapers, Mr. D.? Your Islamic supression medication wearing off? Be a good kid and go ahead and meet Allah, I'm sure your 72 whores are waiting for such an established shill as yourself. By the way, what happened to your Allah luggage? Break like everything that Islam ever made? Or did it get confiscated at a more secure airport? You are a joke and all of your predictions are jokes.

[ProbableCause]

What a bummer this is. Oh well, I still think Russia can complete the job no matter what certain U.S. government officials do.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Reuters. No word from our side. No independent confirmation. No credibility. This requires at least one other reliable verification- preferably someone without a huge axe to grind.

[CommiesOut]

Well, we only told Chechens (in the pub) to be nice to our Russian friends:
Chechen Leader Meets U.S. Officials

[Pericles]

Wonder what President Bush is thinking of Putin/Russia now? It is awfully curious and the problem with Russia is that Bush doesn't like to be betrayed. The good thing with him being Gov. of Texas is that we know he's for the death penalty, therefore they aren't going to take offense without a serious defense. I will say Putin and the anti-American sentiments of wicked Russian madmen that side with beasts such as Saddam Hussein with the insincere excuses of how the Iraqi people are hurting, are on the wrong side and I'd warn the administration and this country Russia cannot be trusted and those kinds of comments and meetings and defense of Iraq prove that point. Be cautious. I suppose Russia thinks we don't see this as a way for those who wish us harm to undermine us through a hostile, maddening regime. There are no excuses for Saddam Hussein's Iraq and it is not forgive and forget time with a history of such that proves why this is a serious matter.

73 posted on 1/24/02 6:28 PM Pacific by bushfamfan

We side with Chechens..................

PS: Russia is not the only nation that has reservations about attacking Iraq, so does ally, Turkey and others.

[Honorary Serb]

Here's some more on the Chechen bandit Basayev, from a 1999 islamic source:

Islamic Shura Declares Shamil Basayev the Overall Commander of the Dagestani Mujahideen:

The Islamic Shura of Dagestan today declared the Chechen Islamist leader Shamil Basayev as their overall commander in a statement in which they also vowed to drive the Russian occupation authorities out of their republic. Shamil led the former Jihad against Russia in Chechenya and he played a prominent role in other struggles in the Caucasus, including the liberation struggle of Abkhazia from Georgia and the war in Nagorno-Karabakh against Armenia.Shamil is a leading figure in an Islamic Movement that wants to liberate the entire Islamic Caucasus area and unite it into a single Islamic state.

There you have it. Basayev is NOT the "heroic freedom fighter" and "democrat" that you claim him to be, but an islamic supremacist and expansionist, bent on conquest!!!!

Besides that, he and the Chechen islamist bandits whom he leads are workiing together with Azerbaijan to try to complete the genocide against the Armenian Christians that was begun by the muslim Turk in 1915!!!! I call that not "noble" and "heroic", but Hitlerian and pure evil!!!

[Honorary Serb]

MarMema: Post 51 was meant for you as well.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Now a 21st century Joubert prepares to redirect the streaming flow of history in a similar fashion. His name is Shamil Basayev -- and he has sworn a holy vow to Allah to take Russia down...

The US military recognizes the battlefield intellect of Basayev. All of our young military professionals are required to study him in the same light as Sun Tzu. You are right.

By the way, I kind of like Putin's haircut.

[MarMema]

By the way, I kind of like Putin's haircut.

Here's to Russian/Serbian/slavic men! They are almost always incredibly sexy.
I know, I married one. LOL. Have not been sorry yet.
I think Putin is yummy-looking.

[MarMema]

Fusion knows this stuff. I posted to him before about Khattab being from Jordan and some interview material about the war in Chechnya being all about creation of the Islamic nation. He was big enough to admit I had made some good points then.

[MarMema]

Btw, I like your words "islamic supremacist". Very nice wording for these people. I hope it's ok to borrow them.

[Gerfang]

I am sure Mexico and Canada, Spain, Native American Indians and the Confederacy would also second your thought.

Bad behavior by my ancestors does not excuse the same by your contemporaries. Is Russia’s security really enhanced by the continued occupation of foreign soil and the oppression of foreign nationals? All you are doing is creating more people who want to kill you.

[Gerfang]

Their neighbors? You mean an integral part of Russia that was under bandit and Jihad control and was being used as a staging grounds for further Islamic expansion?

If the Soviets had had their way, Western Europe would be an “integral part of Russia”. Expansionist Russia has been a plague upon her neighbors since the fall of the Mongols. But can you tell me exactly how the average citizen has benefited from continued Russian militarism? If a plebiscite were held in Chechnya today, or the whole Southern Caucasus, what do you think they would want?

So tell me, how much do the Saudies pay you to shill or are you as Stalin put it "a useful idiot"?

Most conquerors don’t whine so much.

[Pericles]

Chechnya has been part of Russia longer than most States have been part of the US.

[Pericles]

You know last I looked it was Western Europe that keeps invading Russia, Tuetonic Knights, to the Lithuanian-Poles to the French, to the Germans. What you call Russian expansion westward, some may call creating buffer zones against future invasions.

After all what direction is NATO expanding into?