West admits: Chechnya is Russia's internal problemRussia's Foreign Ministry has finally achieved a slight, but
significant
victory on the international scene. The Chechen problem is a green
wound for
Russia and an instrument of pressure exerted on Russia -- for the West.
Richard Boucher, an official spokesman for the US Department of State,
confirmed a connection between the Al Qaeda terrorist organization and
Chechen militants, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports. At that,
Mr.Boucher
told at the briefing in Washington on January 3, the USA were in
contact with
Russia during the military operation against Al Qaeda. Richard Boucher
repeated the opinion of the US administration once again that the
Chechen
problem is to be solved in a political way: "We may struggle with
terrorism,
but fundamental political problems are to be solved in a political
way." It
was mentioned that Russia and the USA had no contradictions as for this
approach to the Chechen problem.
Russia has been trying to assure the world community of a connection
between
the Sept. 11 terror acts and events in Chechnya for a long period
already.
The Chechen war has always been a ground for the USA to threaten Russia
with
a punishment. The situation has changed recently: the USA has admitted
that
the situation in Chechnya is Russia's internal problem. It can be
considered
a great success. But still Europe will retain the function of
humanitarian
and cultural control represented by Lord Jadd.
Mikhail Leontiev, Russian journalist and the author of Odnako (However)
news
program, told: "Russia has finally understood how to talk about
Chechnya with
the West. Now we know the way to send Europe and the rest of the world
a
message to be read in the letters they understand."
The Kremlin agreed to organize talks with a representative of Aslan
Maskhadov, that has also contributed greatly to the victory. Russia
demonstrated that it hoped to settle the Chechen problem in a political
way.
It does not matter that the talks had a negative result, - that is
quite
enough for the West. Especially regarding the fact that the number of
militants in Chechnya is steadily decreasing.
But it does not mean that the situation in Chechnya will radically
change
after this. It is very important for Russia "to stand for ages in
Chechnya,
as our predecessors would say. The price of it, that is what really
matters
here.
translated by Maria Gousseva
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