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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters To the bitter end
By Abdel-Malek Khalil
Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin celebrated his 69th birthday on Tuesday amid festivities in Russia celebrating its capture of the Chechen capital Grozny. According to Russia's Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, some 3,000 Chechen fighters left the city which, is now virtually a ghost town.
Hundreds of rebels apparently stumbled into minefields planted by Russian troops as they tried to flee the city. Sergeyev told reporters in Moscow that over 1,500 Chechen fighters were killed in the minefields surrounding Grozny. Those who escaped have taken refuge in the mountains overlooking Grozny from the south. Islamist separatists' plans to defend positions in the rugged country are being coordinated by an Arab-born guerrilla leader whose nom de guerre is "Khattab."
The Kremlin announced triumphantly that more than 50 Chechen rebels surrendered on Saturday during the battle for Grozny, but the Chechen side, however, was quick to dismiss the claim as "a bunch of lies and Russian propaganda."
Bogged down in heavy street fighting, Russian soldiers' progress was slow as they attempted to capture the embattled capital. But Moscow's new spokesman on Chechnya said he hoped a breakthrough was close after a total of 95 fighters surrendered.
Sergei Yastrzhembsky, a former Kremlin public relations officer, declared somewhat optimistically that "the fighters are starting to realise the hopelessness of their resistance to the Russian forces." He said 54 rebels had surrendered in Grozny and the nearby village of Staraya Sunzha. Yastrzhembsky added in an ominous tone that investigations would determine whether the fighters were involved in "terrorist acts," including bomb attacks on apartment blocks in Moscow, St Petersburg and other Russian cities last year.
However, Chechen rebel spokesman Movladi Ugadov immediately denied the reports. "Firstly, the report that the Chechen fighters in the capital had laid down their weapons is an absolute lie; there is no truth in it whatsoever," retorted Udagov, explaining that "a few dozen civilians, old men, women and children, approached Russian troops in Staraya Sunzha." Ugadov said that "not one fighter has laid down his weapons," and that the rebels were stopping the Russian advance into Grozny.
The Chechens have complained bitterly that the Russians have treated the civilian population atrociously. They say that after villages surrendered, the Russian troops continued with their artillery bombardments. Chechen civilians have been literally caught in the crossfire -- thousands are estimated to have been killed while the rest face severe food and shelter shortages, and insufficient medical supplies. Military sources, quoted in the Russian media, said troops had taken over some key buildings and that additional air raids had been launched on Grozny. Many districts were overrun by street fighting, especially the strategic Minutka Square where battles raged for 10 days before Russia raised its flag over the square last weekend.
The Russian military has acknowledged that more than 1,000 of its soldiers have died. Losses have increased dramatically since the New Year, when the military stepped up its bid to seize Grozny. Rebels tried to hold off the Russians from bunkers throughout the city and attempted to use their knowledge of Grozny's alleys to their tactical advantage.
Early successes in capturing the Chechen lowlands have been cited as the chief reason for high poll ratings for acting Russian President Vladimir Putin, the front-runner in the 26 March presidential elections. Military statements, quoted by Interfax, a Russian wire service, said the Russian air force had launched 150 sorties in 24 hours, among the highest figures for a one-day period during the conflict.
Meanwhile, European Union (EU) leaders hope to renew their efforts this week to persuade Russia to halt its military campaign in Chechnya. But the EU also wants to ensure that political and economic relations stay on track." EU officials said that EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten, and Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, were expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov for bilateral talks and expressed hopes that a similar meeting would be arranged with Putin.
One EU official explained, "The message is: we demand an end to the disproportionate use of force in Chechnya, but we also want relations with Russia to stay on track. Russia is likely to reiterate its position that it is fighting "terrorists" in Chechnya and emphasise its right to carry out such military operations on its own territory. The EU has repeatedly condemned the military campaign against separatist rebels in Chechnya but has imposed only mild sanctions, saying it will instead shift some funds earmarked for technical assistance to humanitarian aid.
