The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue 39 31.10.02 Actual News from Chechnya News update The Swedish Prime Minister Joran Persson believes the arrest of the separatist Chechen envoy Akhmed Zakayev in Copenhagen on Wednesday by no means violates accepted democratic norms 7.00 P.M. According to the agency RIA-Novosti, he said this in the Finnish capital Helsinki on Wednesday afternoon. Denmark, he said, acted quite legally in apprehending Zakayev because Russia had indicted the man for involvement in serious crime. His Finnish counterpart Paavo Lipponen expressed a similar view. Russian prosecutors say Zakayev has been on international wanted lists for over a year now. He is suspected of involvement in a number of terror attacks between 1996 and 99 and in the hostage-taking in Moscow late on Wednesday last week. (more news... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?section=Moseng&rowid=5767&lng=eng) Sergei Yastrzhembsky: Moscow is pleased with the arrest of Zakayev and expects the Danish authorities to hand him over to Russia 08 A.M. Moscow is pleased with the Danish decision to arrest Maskhadov's emissary Ahmed Zakayev. This is what an aide to President Putin Sergei Yastrzhembsky said in a live broadcast of the TVS television company. Moscow had, according to Yastrzhembsky, resorted to the use of "all diplomatic and political means available to a country of the modern world, in an effort to make its position clear to Copenhagen." Speaking in reference to Zakayev and his alleged diplomatic status abroad, Yastrzhembsky described Zakayev as "a phantom representative of a phantom president of a non-existent country." He said, in answer to a question on whether the arrest highlighted irrefutable proof of a link between Zakayev and the Barayev unit, that "the Danish police had serious materials that they could not ignore." So, there was all reason to expect the extradition of Zakayev to Russia. (more about teract in Moscow... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=Moseng) Law enforcement agencies are carrying out a range of criminalistic examinations in regard to Chechens, passengers of a Mercedes bus detained earlier in Moscow The official death toll among hostages reached 118 people, including 64 men and 54 women. The youngest captive died in the course of the storming operation is about 13-14 years old. Law enforcement agencies are carrying out a range of criminalistic examinations in regard to Chechens, passengers of a Mercedes bus detained earlier in Moscow. RIA Novosti news agency quotes Moscow interior headquarters as saying that finger samples from the detained have been taken to see if they contain particles of powder and explosives. All the detained are checked to find out if they have any connection to the terrorist act in the theatre center. Police officers are also figuring out the purpose of the visit, occupations, and closest relations of the suspects. Separate road patrol battalion of Moscows eastern precinct stopped the bus with Chechnyas number-plates, in which it revealed elements of trotyl. The police o9fficers also found that plate-numbers contravened figures in the registration papers. (more about terract... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=Moseng) Chechen cuisine Sweetmeats A nut halva (per 1000g.) Nuts 650g, honey 420 g. Fry slightly peeled nuts (walnuts, peanuts), put into boiling honey and mix. Put on a tray and leave it to cool. Serve in portions 75-100 grams each. Other kinds of halva: 1. Fry a mixture of corn and wheat flour in hot butter with sugar until thick. Put the paste on a tray, leave it to cool and cut into pieces. 2. To prepare noodle-halva fry ball-shaped noodles in hot butter, put onto a tray, top with honey or thick grape juice and leave to cool. 3. To cook nut-halva take young green nuts, boil them in grape or sugar syrup and leave to cool. more about chechen cuisine ... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=kitcheneng) Actual News 29 October 2002 Time: Pankisi Gorge is international base of Islamic terrorists The American Time weekly has virtually refuted claims by Georgias President Eduard Shevardnadze that militants have largely left Georgian territory and that large-scale military operation in the Pankisi Gorge is over. On the contrary, says the magazine, Pankisi has turned into an international base for Islamic terrorists, whose number turned out to be surprisingly large. When the US announced early this year its intention to send military instructors to Georgia to drill local troops for anti-terrorist operations, it was believed then that there were only a dozen of Arab militants in Pankisi. Later on, however, says the Time, it was revealed that Arab presence was at least five times bigger. According to the magazine, there are jihad cells with complex structure with operations going far beyond helping Chechen separatists on Russian territory. The weekly informs that America assisted Georgia in scuttling at least two terrorist conspiracies. In the first case, extremists attempted to acquire a large amount of explosives allegedly for staging a terrorist act against American or western premises in Russia. In the other case, the activity of the terrorist group producing poisons was derailed. The Georgian forces have so far eliminated several Arab militants in Pankisi, says the Time. Among the killed, are at least two middle-profile Al Qaeda commanders. The Time admits, however, Georgians have yet failed to trace down about 30 Pankisi Arabs. (more News from Chechnya http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 28 October 2002 Lieutenant-general Sergey Makarov new commander of joint force on the North Caucasus Lieutenant-general Sergey Makarov has taken the office of the commander of the joint force on the North Caucasus. He was appointed by the decree of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. S. Makarov was born in 1952. He entered the military service in 1970. He moved all the way up the commanders ladder, down from platoon commander up to the army commander. The general has a long track record on the Caucasus and in Chechnya in particular. He led a training tank regiment in Shali till 1992. After the events in 1991-1992, he withdrew the regiment without surrendering hardware and armament to Chechen separatists. S. Makarov entered the first Chechen campaign as a commander of the 135th detached infantry subdivision. He formed combined battalion for moving into Chechnya himself. In 1998, after graduating from the Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, he was appointed Defense Ministry representative to the deputy commander-in-chief of interior troops of the Interior Ministry in the North Caucasus. When the counter-terrorist operation began in 1999, general S. Makarov was deputy commander of the operational force Vostok led by general Gennady Troshev that entered Chechnya from the direction of Dagestan. In January 2000 he became commander of the force. Afterward, when the operational forces Vostok and Zapad were disbanded, he led the 20th combined army in the Moscow military precinct. In summer 2002, S. Makarov was appointed deputy commander of troops of the North Caucasian military precinct. When general V. Moltensky was on vacation, he was acting commander of the joint force on the North Caucasus. After arriving in Grozny on October 22, S. Makarov held a meeting with senior staff of the federal forces. He listened to the reports on the state of troops and specified how the counter-terrorist operation would develop farther down the road. (more News from Chechnya... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 27 October 2002 V.Zorin says that hostage taking in Moscow will not cause ethnic tensions in the country Vladimir Zorin, the Russian federal minister in charge of ethnic affairs, believes that hostage taking in Moscow will not cause ethnic tensions in the country. In a live interview on Ekho Moskwi, popular FM station, Zorin said that Chechen citizens are the citizens of Russia; they acted with dignity, even offered themselves as hostages doing everything possible to set the people free. Zorin also communicates that the headquarters of the federal Interior Ministry launched a hot line to inform people about the cases of violation of the Chechen citizens rights. Alexander Muzikantsky, the Moscow Government minister refuted the possibility of any repressive measures towards the Chechen people in Moscow. He emphasized that one of the main objectives of the terrorists was to provoke riots in Moscow. (more News from Chechnya... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 27 October 2002 The situation in the capital returns to normal After 57 hours of tense expectations during which fate of over 800 hostages was being decided, Moscow is gradually returning to normal life. However, police cordons continue to seal off the theatre complex on Melnikov Street with investigators working inside. The Muscovites are heading with flowers and funeral candles for the tragedy site where about 90 hostages died. Traffic has been resumed along Melnikov and 1st Dubrovskaya Streets. Residents of neighboring areas have returned to their homes. Reinforced police patrols and checkpoints remain about the recent drama. Policemen are checking transport vehicles, luggage and documents. According to the latest information from the law enforcement bodies, Sunday night four men were detained with weapons and explosives, including two Chechens, one Ingoosh and Georgian nationals. They are being interrogated on suspicion of involvement in the hostage taking in Moscow. (more News from Chechnya http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern customs and traditions Inside the family Respect of elders. Every Chechen family, without a single exception, respects and cares about the elder generations of its members, in particular about the parents. Parents usually live together with one of their sons. A good daughter-in-law kicks off the day tidying up the in-laws' part of the house. Free from this, she may attend to other matters. The first thing the sons do when getting back home in the evening, is to go to see the parents, to talk and to share with them the day's joys and sorrows. It is not only their children but all other members of the family who take care of the old couple. Grandfathers are usually called "big fathers," and grandmothers, just "mothers," in Chechnya. Children may sometimes disobey their mothers. They will be forgiven for this. But it is absolutely inadmissible to disobey a grandfather, a grandmother or some other representative of the older generation of the family members or neighbors. Only an ill-mannered person will remain seated in the presence of elder people or will sit down without a repeated request from his seniors. It is inadmissible to drink alcohol in the presence of one's parents or any other older relatives. One should watch his manners and cannot raise his voice in a conversation with an older person. If the parents live separately from their sons, the children are especially attentive to them: the best food shall, for example, be given to the parents. It is an old tradition of the Chechen countryside that the parents live in a separate small house built for them by their children, right by the wall of the children's house. The children try to create the most comfortable conditions for the parents and meet all the requirements of the old age. Relations between family members. Most Chechen families are big. Several brothers usually live, together with their families, in the same village or even on the same plot of land. They observe the age-old rules of conduct in family relations. Conflicts and quarrels between their children or womenfolk are settled by the eldest male or female member of the family. If someone has hurt the feelings of her children, the mother of the family should make no complaint to her husband. She may, under the worst of the circumstances, appeal to either of the husband's relatives, but it is bad manners to pay attention to children's quarrels, grudges and tears. Chechen children know their uncle will be the first to meet a request or come to their aid. An uncle would rather tell his own offspring to leave him alone. But he will never leave unheeded a nephew's or a niece's request. The older members of a family feel responsible for the well-being of the younger generation. The younger generation feel responsible for the elders. The elders are responsible for the consolidation of family relations. The parents must do their best for accord and understanding in their sons' families. They must be very considerate to their daughters-in-law. The father-in-law must avoid hurting his daughters'-in-law feelings: they should not see him undressed and he may not drink alcoholic beverages when either of them is around. Family honor. The Chechens are accustomed to put the merits and shortcomings of an individual on the family bill. If someone has done wrong, the faces of his numerous relatives "will darken," and the whole family will go around with bowed heads. If someone has done well, people say that "nothing else could be expected from a member of that fine family," or that "the son of such a father could not behave in a different way." Children brought up in the spirit of the family tradition are competitive-oriented. They want to be "yakh," that is "better than anyone." Their elders insist that they should be "yakh, that they should under no circumstances be worse than their playmates." They should neither let others hurt a weaker being nor be the first to start a fight. (in detail... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=moderheng&row=7) Copyright CHECHNYA FREE.RU http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=news.media.chechnyafree http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com