[Previous entry: "Most abominable, unfair calls in the history of tennis"] [Next entry: "Healing the Africa within us"]

09/08/2004:

"Minister unwilling to blame Chechens"

Not a single Chechen has been found among the dead gunmen who took children hostage in Beslan last week, Sergei Ivanov, Russia's defence minister, told the Guardian yesterday. "About half of the 32 terrorists have been identified and we have not yet discovered anyone from Chechnya," he said.
The comment was a clear effort to back up the Kremlin's claim that last week's attack was not a result of Russia's actions in Chechnya.

The defence minister's remarks came as other statements from prosecutors carried on Russian television pinned the blame for the raid firmly on the Chechen rebel commander Shamil Basayev.

Full Article : guardian.co.uk