U.S. backing terrorists: Russia

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, JAN. 14. Russia has bluntly accused the United States of supporting terrorists and separatists, the first time such a charge has been made in Moscow since the end of the Cold War.

In an angry reaction to a meeting on Thursday between U.S. State Department officials and an envoy of the Chechen rebels, the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, said on Friday that the move amounted to de facto support of terrorism and caused ``deep concern'' in Moscow.

``We have repeatedly said that such actions signify de facto support of terrorists and separatists, and not only in Russia,'' Mr. Ivanov told a press briefing in Moscow.

Moscow rejected Washington's explanation that Mr. Ilyas Akhmadov, identified as ``Foreign Minister'' of the breakaway republic of Chechnya, had been received in the State Department as a private Russian citizen and that the meeting did not represent a shift in the U.S. policy of refusing to recognise Chechnya's independence. ``One should not consider others more naive than oneself,'' Mr. Ivanov remarked sarcastically.

The welcome of Mr. Akhmadov in Washington ``cannot but provoke regret and deep worry'' in Moscow, he said.

Russia's official Itar-Tass news agency stressed that the U.S. where Mr. Akhmadov had come on a private invitation after visiting several European capitals, was the first Western country whose officials met with the separatist envoy.

The strongly-worded statement appears to reflect a new tougher line towards the West declared by Moscow after the Prime Minister, Mr. Vladimir Putin, became acting President following the resignation of the President, Mr. Boris Yeltsin on Dec. 31, 1999.

Russia's revised security concept, signed into law by Mr. Putin earlier this week and published on Friday, accuses the U.S.-led Western nations of seeking to establish a uni-polar world and using military force to resolve international issues. The document also lists international terrorism as a ``grave threat'' to Russia's national security.

PTI, UNI report:

Mr. Akhmadov said in the U.S. that his only aim ``is to stop the total destruction of our people and we are prepared to do anything. We are prepared to negotiate.''

Meanwhile, Russia doubled its air war against rebel camps in southern mountains in Chechnya amidst reports that the Federal troops suffered the highest one-day toll since Moscow launched an all-out attack on the rebels.

Since Thursday, SU-24 and SU-25 bombers and MI-24 helicopter gunships carried out 130 sorties, intensifying Russia's aircraft bombardment, killing 80 rebels in two rebel bases in the mountain ranges.

However, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, General Valery Manilov, denied reports of loss of 33 Russian servicemen, saying only one soldier had been killed and three wounded on Thursday as the army expressed discontent at the inability of the Interior Ministry troops to hold rebels from recapturing several key Chechen towns last week.

Foreign military diplomats said the Interior Ministry troops were not in a position to face the assault of the highly trained Islamic militants and the Russian military command cannot deploy the army in each and every town and village to fight the guerilla war.

In another development, a 450-strong Chechen militia force under the command of the former Mayor of Grozny, Mr. Bislan Gantemirov, has been enrolled as a regular unit of the Russian Interior Ministry and one of its fighters has been decorated as ``hero of Russia'' for valour.

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Section  : International
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