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SNA CHECHENPRESS. Official Information Section, 06/06/08
ChP: Yaragi, could you kindly tell us very briefly what your post in the ChRI Government entails?
Ya. A: A Minister of State in the ChRI Government is a kind of post which is otherwise called ‘a minister without portfolio’. To be precise, my duties include the execution of one-off and special directives of the Cabinet of Minister’s Chairman.
- In October 2007 the declaration of the Caucasus Emirate created a rift among the proponents of Chechnya’s independence. Could you briefly outline the positions of the two sides?
- It is perhaps more accurate to call the events which have occurred a process by which the real proponents of Chechnya’s independence got rid of those who had been specially allocated to them to carry out all sorts of provocations in order to discredit the national liberation movement.
- Supporters of the Emirate idea claim that their initiative to dismount the Chechen statehood is aimed at the consolidation and bringing under a single command of all the Caucasus mujahadeen. To use their own logic one could deduce therefore that before the declaration of the Emirate there had been no such consolidation and undivided authority in the ranks of the Caucasus Resistance movement. Could you comment on this assertion?
- It is quite reasonable to suggest that consolidating and bringing all the Caucasus mujahadeen together under a single authority is part of the Emirate authors’ plan. The ChK had already done this once during the 1920s. The notorious ‘Trust’ was for many years involved in consolidating and bringing together under a single authority all those who were dissatisfied with the Soviet regime, even trying to entice very important anti-Soviet figures from abroad. Thus when they completed the special operation the ChK had managed to destroy overnight an underground of thousands of activists. It is common knowledge that a partisan movement or a popular movement cannot be defeated primarily because of the relative nature of its unity of military and political command while at the same time enjoying an absolute unity of purpose.
- It is no secret that Udugov’s anti- Chechen, anti-government clique has had a virtual monopoly on all the information that the resistance fighters have been getting from the outside world. It is also a well known fact that Udugov and his henchmen do not shy away from blatant lies and slander. Does the Chechen Government take steps to ensure that the resistance fighters get bonafide information about the reaction of the learned alims and the huge Chechen diaspora to the declaration of the Caucasus Emirate?
- I think we should not attach too much importance to the actions of the Caucasus Centre (Kavkaztsentr) after the declaration of the Emirate. Thanks to decisive actions of the ChRI Parliament and, I must admit, of Akhmed Zakaev, personally, the main mission of the Caucasus Centre as the gravedigger for the Chechen statehood failed as far back as last November-December. All the necessary information is passed on to the resistance fighters by the Government through the Armed Forces’ General Headquarters, of course. At the same time everyone in Chechnya is well informed about events with the help of telephone communications, the Internet, radio etc.
- What is your understanding of the future development and future results of the Russian-Chechen confrontation? What future do you see for the Caucasus?
- If Russia were at war with Chechnya for the sake of a war, then one could say that Russia has won. But Russia invaded Chechnya in order to disarm the Chechens and to restore the colonial regime. There are many indications that Russia’s efforts have been counterproductive. Akhmed Zakaev has talked about it very convincingly and in great detail in one of his recent speeches. Those who are urging Moscow to come back to Earth and to engage in a real political resolution of the Russian-Chechen conflict, are right, of course. I very much hope that this settlement is not far off.
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