Chechnya administration chief: Islamic extremists led republic into stalemate

Akhmad Kadyrov, head of Chechnya's regional government, has said in a statement that separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov properly belongs "in the dock." Speaking to a press briefing in the Chechen capital of Grozny Tuesday, Kadyrov emphasized that the Russian authorities "are not conducting any secret negotiations whatsoever either with Maskhadov or with his emissaries." At the same time, Kadyrov indicated that for militants who haven't committed any serious offences, the way to peaceful life is "open". The one condition is that they lay down arms, he announced, adding that it is up to the Chechens themselves "to steer the country out of the cul-de-sac where Aslan Maskhadov and Islamic extremists have led it." He then condemned the aid some Middle Eastern states have been providing to separatists.

He vowed "to explain to Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Muslim countries that Maskhadov and his henchmen, rather than waging a holy war, are putting the fate of a whole people at stake, while their own children live abroad."

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