RUSSIA: NEW CHECHEN PRESIDENT REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM

Record ID: 443039

  • Title: RUSSIA: NEW CHECHEN PRESIDENT REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM
  • Date: 10th October 2003
  • Summary: (W5) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (OCTOBER 10, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV NEWLY ELECTED CHECHEN PRESIDENT AKHMAD KADYROV WALKS INTO PRESS HALL 0.15 2. MCU (Russian) NEWLY ELECTED CHECHEN PRESIDENT, AKHMAD KADYROV, SAYING "From here I could also say that they held undemocratic elections in Los Angeles, in California. What does it mean to elect the Terminator? The U.S. State Department is judging elections held in regions of the Russian Federation. The more important thing to me is that these elections are considered valid by the Russian government and the people of Chechnya." 0.39 3. LV PRESS 0.44 4. MCU (Russian) KADYROV, SAYING "As soon as I feel that the interior troops of the Chechen republic are strong enough, then I will ask that Russian troops are withdrawn and that those who remain will be placed there on permanent resident basis." 1.02 5. SV PRESS (2 SHOTS) 1.11 6. MCU (Russian) KADYROV, SAYING "My most important and first goal is security, security for all Chechens. This is the priority and it must be done now. We cannot look at it as a long-term goal, we have to begin it now. We have to make it so that after October 5, no innocent lives are lost." 1.39 7. LV KADYROV IN PRESS HALL 1.43 (W5) CHECHEN REPUBLIC, RUSSIA (OCTOBER 05, 2003) (REUTERS) 8. LV SOLDIERS GUARDING VOTING STATION 1.49 9. SV/CU ELECTION WORKERS REGISTERING PEOPLE TO VOTE (2 SHOTS) 2.00 10. LAS POLICE OFFER VOTING AT POLLING STATION 2.05 11. LV POLICE AND SOLDIERS OUTSIDE OF POLLING STATION 2.10 12. LV/SLV STREET SCENES/ RUSSIAN SOLDIERS / ARMOURED VEHICLE (4 SHOTS) 2.33 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVAEV59CM5TU297KWYTBRRG6EYHG
  • Story Text: New Chechen president rejects U.S. criticism.



    Chechnya's new president Akhmad Kadyrov brushed off
    U.S. criticism of his election on Friday (October 10),
    saying the United States had just held unfair elections in
    California where film star Arnold Shwarzeneeger was elected
    governor.

    Russian election officials said Kadyrov won more than
    80 percent of the vote in his war-torn republic's elections
    held last weekend. But Washington, in comments echoed by
    Brussels and human rights groups across the world, said the
    vote had not been fair.

    But Chechnya's new leader said the criticism didn't
    bother him.

    "From here I could also say that they held
    undemocratic elections in Los Angeles, in California. What
    does it mean to elect the Terminator? The U.S. State
    Department is judging elections held in regions of the
    Russian Federation. The more important thing to me is that
    these elections are considered valid by the Russian
    government and the people of Chechnya," said Kadyrov.

    Kadyrov said that he would now turn toward reducing
    the presence of Russian soldiers who have effectively
    occupied Chechnya since the start of the second
    independence war in 2000.

    "As soon as I feel that the interior troops of the
    Chechen republic are strong enough, then I will ask that
    Russian troops are withdrawn and that those who remain will
    be placed there on permanent resident basis," said Kadyrov.

    The new president also said he would improve security
    in the dangerous region where kidnappings and killings are
    common.

    "My most important and first goal is security,
    security for all Chechens. This is the priority and it must
    be done now. We cannot look at it as a long-term goal, we
    have to begin it now. We have to make it so that after
    October 5, no innocent lives are lost," said Kadyrov.

    The presidential election that Kadyrov won was a key
    to Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace plan for
    Chechnya, where separatists kill troops and pro-Moscow
    police forces almost daily.

    But the vote was flatly dismissed by rebels--nominally
    led by Aslan Maskhadov, who was elected president of a de
    facto independent Chechnya in 1997. Many ordinary Chechens
    seemed widely suspicious of the vote after all major
    challengers were forced out or pulled their names from the
    ballot.


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