Vladimir Ustinov, John Ashcroft discuss problem of Russian citizens in Guantanamo

Russian Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov and US Attorney General John Ashcroft, the head of the Justice Department, have voiced their common positions on the problem of three Russian participants in the Taliban movement, staying at the US military base in Guantanamo.

Criminal proceedings were initiated against these three people and enough evidence was gathered to make them criminally responsible, Ustinov said Monday, following the meeting with Ashcroft. We shall cooperate on this issue, Ashcroft said.

According to Sergei Fridinsky, deputy prosecutor general in the Southern Federal District, he has data on other four people, kept in Guantanamo, who are likely to be Russian citizens. Their citizenship is being established now.

According to the data of the law enforcement bodies, Taliban mercenaries were recruited through Muslim organisations and educational institutions in Russia. After that, recruits were sent to terrorist training bases in Central Asia, Arabia and other countries.