Washington flirts with Chechen rebels

The US administration is planning to contact representatives of the Chechen militants. Such a possibility was confirmed yesterday by Mark Grossman, director general of the foreign service at the US State Department, whom President George W. Bush has nominated for the post of US Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs, according to RIA Novosti. Speaking at the Senate International Relations Committee hearings, Mr. Grossman said he expected to arrange a meeting with a Chechen representative during the current week at the level of the US Under Secretary of State. Mr. Grossman did not specify which representative of the Chechen gunmen was meant. It has already been announced in Washington that the so-called Foreign Minister of Chechnya Ilyas Akhmadov is to turn up at the American capital this week. In particular, the National Press Club in Washington has announced that Mr. Akhmadov will speak at the club on Friday in connection with the discovery of mass burials on Chechnya's territory. The US Department of State has not so far commented over the possible contacts, but stresses that the USA considers Chechnya to be an inalienable part of Russia and does not recognize the so-called Chechen government and its representatives. Moscow strongly hopes that "the new U.S. administration will refrain from all official contacts with representatives of the Chechen terrorists," Kremlin sources told Interfax on Wednesday. They said that if reports that the U.S. administration would like to have contacts with the Chechen rebels are confirmed, "Moscow's reaction will be harsh.”