Chechens Fear Effect of Pact With RussiaSome locals of North Caucasian descent are deeply concerned about what a U.S.-Russia alliance against terrorism will mean for Chechnya. And as President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to meet today in Shanghai, these onlookers fear that Russia will succeed in equating the U.S. "war on terrorism" with its war on Chechen separatists.
"Russia is bombing a country because they want the land, and they're using every means to convince the world that Chechens are terrorists, so they have to wipe them out," said Handan Gorny, a Chechen-American who lives in Elmwood Park.
Erol Bulur, a Paterson resident of Karachay descent, said he and other community members are worried that Russia will use "radical Islam" as a pretext to persecute Muslims throughout the region.
"There is a degree of despair that Chechens will end up becoming the biggest loser, and Russia will not only consolidate their power in the North Caucasus, but even in the Southern Caucasus, where they may threaten Georgia and Azerbaijan," Bulur said.
Russia has long branded Chechen rebels as "terrorists" and "bandits," but since Sept. 11, it has intensified its efforts to persuade the United States of this fact.
Early last week, however, Secretary of State Colin Powell rejected that concept, and reiterated that Russia should pursue a political settlement with Chechen separatists rather than a military campaign.
But in an interview with a Russian newspaper, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice reportedly advised Chechen leaders to distance themselves "from the terrorists which could be in their ranks."
Muslim fighters from other nations, some of whom have trained with the Taliban, reportedly have joined in the fight against Russia for Chechen independence. It has been reported as well that some Chechens are involved with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaida network, along with nationals from as many as 30 other countries.
Ultimately, both associations, if true, would harm the Chechen cause, Bulur said.
"It gives fuel to Russian claims that Chechens are involved in international acts of terror," Bulur said. "But give me proof that one Chechen is involved in any of these terrorist acts in Africa (against U.S. embassies) or here. That's something I'd like to see."
Gorny maintains that Russia brought in the extremist Muslim fighters to further justify their brutal suppression of the Chechen rebellion.
The recent history of this conflict has itself been brutal. Between 1994 and 1996, the Chechens fought against Russia for their independence, winning from Russia the right to conduct elections and set up their own government. But in October 1999, after a series of apartment building bombings in Russia, the Russians resumed fighting that has continued ever since.
A Human Rights Watch report released last month states: "In response to a series of attacks by Chechen forces this summer, federal forces conducted a series of sweep operations in three villages that involved the arbitrary detention of hundreds of villagers; many were tortured, and several were the victims of extrajudicial execution or forced disappearance."
Gorny despairs of the U.S. government's seeming indifference to the Chechen people's plight.
"Why is Chechnya different from Kosovo? The U.S. went to their aid," Gorny said. "(U.S. government officials) are not looking at the whole situation, because if they did, they would see the atrocities and would say Russia's doing the same thing that the Taliban (are) doing to the Afghan people."
Salauddin Bey Boulat, an 83-year-old Chechen native, said that Chechens have been fighting for their independence for 250 years.
"Europe and America are asking them to solve the problem in Chechnya politically and peacefully, but Russians don't know what this means," said Bey Boulat, a North Brunswick resident. "Russia wants America to stop criticizing them."
And that's just what Bulur and Gorny worry could happen.
"Chechnya has nothing to offer the coalition (against terrorism)," Bulur said. "It's just a small country with a small population, and the only thing they had was the fact that the brutality of Russian action was bringing such a backlash from the West, the United States and human rights organizations.
"That was their only hope, and I think that, too, is just going to be lost now," Bulur said.
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