In reaction to Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze’s readiness to facilitate the possible talks on the termination of fighting in Chechnya to be held between representatives of Russian and Chechen presidents, Russian President’s aide Sergey Yastrzembsky said that the Kremlin does not need any international intermediaries for such talks.
On the eve of the E.U.-Russia summit, Human Rights Watch called on European leaders and NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson to keep a firm stand against human rights abuses in Chechnya also in a situation of the common struggle against terrorism.
Tuesday, October 2
Another phone call was made between Viktor Kazantsev, Russian President’s plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Region, and President of Ichkeria Aslan Maskhadov’s representative Akhmed Zakayev. Kazantsev and Zakayev discussed only technical details of their forthcoming meeting, including the place where the meeting should be held.
Vladimir Kalamanov, the special representative of the Russian President for the securing of human rights and freedoms of the citizens in Chechnya, called the new appeal of Human Rights Watch (of Oct 1) concerning the continuing violation of human rights in Chechnya ungrounded. Kalamanov stressed that he had no reservations about the work of the prosecution, courts and the Russian Justice Ministry in Chechnya.
Wednesday, October 3
No major events.
Thursday, October 4
No major events.
Friday, October 5
The examination of witnesses to Shamil Basayev’s raid on Budyonnovsk in 1995 started at the regional court in Stavropol, south Russia. Raisa Dundayeva, Aslan Yakubov, Vakhit Aydamirov, and Salambek Daudov have been charged principally with terrorism, participation in illegal bandit formations and hostage-taking. The hearings will be held in camera.
Some 500 people picketed the building of the district military headquarters in Shali in protest against the call-up of their sons to the Russian army. People claimed that in view of the ongoing war they do not want to see their sons joining the army that is fighting in Chechnya.
Russian media informed that Lieutenant General Vladimir Moltenskoy had replaced Colonel General Valery Baranov as head of the United Group of Federal Forces in Chechnya as part of the regular staff rotation. The media did not indicate the date of the replacement.
A total of 51,354 new passports of the Russian Federation have been issued in Chechnya since the beginning of this year, so the remaining over 400,000 people in the republic are without a new passport, acting head of the Russian Interior Ministry’s passport and visa department for Chechnya, Lieutenant Colonel Ruslan Abdulayev, said. – Interfax-AVN
Saturday, October 6
The group of federal troops in Chechnya needs additional funds, chairman of Russia's State Duma commission for defence and national security funding, Vladislav Reznik, told a news conference. -- Itar-Tass
Georgia handed over to Russia the group of 13 persons who were arrested at the Georgian-Russian border on June 6, 2001. Some of them are Kabardino-Balkarians, the nationality of the rest remains under question.
Sunday, October 7
Hundreds of inhabitants of the Prigorodnoye village, situated several kilometres southeast of Grozny, blocked the traffic on the Grozny-Shatoi road in protest against the killing of a 10-year-old local boy, who died on Saturday after – according to what the locals claim - a grenade fired by Russian soldiers fell on him and his friends several days ago.-Lenta.ru
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