Russian parliament's speaker calls on Georgia to put end to terrorists' "resort life" on Georgian territory - 26 September, 2002

Commenting on a breakthrough, that terrorists made to Ingushetia, the speaker of the Russian parliament's lower chamber did not try to conceal his indignation at the Georgian authorities' position, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

"I wonder what Shevardnadze (the Georgian president) will tell us now. That there are no terrorists there? Or what else will he say?" Georgia must understand that the Russian side has grounds, asking it to do away with terrorists, he underlined.

The criminals "must be gripped both on the Russian and the Georgian sides," Seleznyov believes. "Those who will surrender, if any, will be captured, those who will not - will be physically destroyed, as well as their resort life in Georgia," he assured.

Speaking of the terrorists, who had made a breakthrough to Ingushetia, Seleznyov hoped that the Russian military would take measures to make "their feathers fly".

However, "this is not the last group, that crossed the Russian border," Seleznyov thinks. He is sure that terrorists are still there /in Georgia/.

Seleznyov regarded the fact of Georgia "extraditing criminals to us by order of the Prosecutor General's Office" as positive. However, we must move on, he said. Besides, it is necessary to "cut off all possible Ichkeria's PR channels in Georgia", he believes. "We must find those, who feel at home in the very capital of Georgia, and at the same time do away with all their frontier resorts," the State Duma's chairman added.

Commenting on the resolution on Georgia, adopted by PACE earlier, Seleznyov recommended that European MPs "go to Georgia and see the state of things first of all". "They appear to be invited there to follow the paths of tourists," the speaker pointed out.

"Did you hear what the Georgians said? We invite everyone, we shall lead you about the mountains, and you will find nobody there," Seleznyov remarked. He called such statements of the Georgian side not serious. "There is no point in going there as tourists," the speaker said. He recommended that PACE representatives gather all operative information, check it seriously, and then estimate whether there are militants in Georgia or not. "But finding deserted camps and saying that everyone's gone somewhere is not serious. Even children are smarter," the State Duma's speaker concluded.