• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NEW TERRORIST ATTACKS WILL FOLLOW MASKHADOV'S PEACE INITIATIVE

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti)-The Chechen authorities do not intend to talk with Aslan Maskhadov, president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria, writes Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Instead, Chechnya's president, Alu Alkhanov, and first vice premier, Ramzan Kadyrov, have offered the separatist leader the chance to surrender.

Experts believe that Mr. Maskhadov did not expect the federal center to react to his calls for talks, and so his unilateral ceasefire initiative in February most likely pursued quite different goals.

First, his fighters may use the time to rest, re-deploy and plan new terrorist attacks. Second, experts say such statements are made when a major operation is planned after the end of a ceasefire. "Presumably, a new powerful attack will be launched when the federal center ignores [Maskhadov's] call," says political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin. "The logic is simple: we invite you to negotiate, you refuse, so get what you deserve."

Indicatively, the decision to declare a ceasefire without any apparent reason was limited to one month, February. President Putin and President Bush, who will meet in Bratislava later this month, will certainly discuss terrorism, and the "peace initiative" of the Chechen extremists fits the anti-terrorism agenda. It is no coincidence that Umar Khambiyev, whom Mr. Maskhadov appointed head of the delegation for contacts with the Russian authorities, has said influential European politicians "have expressed interest" in his chief's initiatives.