Russian Foreign Ministry releases statement in connection with Basayev's interview on British TV

Regarding Showing of Terrorist/Murderer Shamil Basayev's Interview on British TV

Moscow has received with profound regret the fact of a telecast interview of the notorious terrorist and murderer Shamil Basayev on Britain's Channel 4. We regard this move as direct informational support of the terrorists operating in the North Caucasus.

It cannot but arouse concern that this was in a country presiding over the G8 of industrialized states, where the theme of combating terrorism is a key issue.The question also arises how this kind of action correlates with the UN's decisions to intensify the fight against the main threat to humanity, terrorism, in particular UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1566? These decisions, which strengthen the international legal basis of counteraction against terrorism, including the non-sheltering of terrorists from justice and the impossibility of justifying terrorist acts by any political, ideological or other considerations, as is known, were adopted with Britain's participation.

In the present-day conditions any attempts to justify the provision of a platform for terrorists, on whose arms there is the blood of innocent victims, including children, by references to freedom of speech look cynical, to say the least.It is obvious that the British authorities should ponder the moral consequences that the granting by Britain of asylum to the Chechen terrorists' emissary, Akhmed Zakayev, may have for British society. And the release now of the threats from a terrorist/murderer who is on Interpol's wanted list and on the sanctions list of the UN Security Council is a breach of the binding decisions of this body and is in no way compatible with general human morality and the values of democratic society. We also expect an adequate reaction from the British judicial system, without which any references to the principles of a rule-of-law state would look but an empty sound.