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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| FSB director sez that support orgs for Chechen Killer Korps disrupted |
| 2006-01-18 |
| Russian security services in cooperation with foreign partners have suppressed activities of a number of international terrorist organisations that have been supporting terrorists and extremists in the Chechen Republic, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev said in an interview published by the Rossiiskaya Gazeta on Wednesday. According to him, as a result of joint operations conducted jointly with their colleagues from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Uzbekistan the security services detained and extradited to Russia a number of persons wanted for crimes of terrorist nature. Patrushev stressed that criminals are extradited to Russia not only from the CIS member countries, but also from countries of the West. Thus in June 2005 Sweden extradited to Russia Musa Isayev who was placed by the Russian Prosecutor Generalâs Office on the international wanted list for his participation in the attack on Buinaksk in 1995. Stekhnovsky, a person who is accused of participation in the assassination of the Russian State Suma lower house of parliament member, Galina Starovoitova, has been also extradited to Russia in cooperation between the Belgian police and Interpol. Speaking about interaction with foreign partners during the tragic events in the Dubrovka theatre in Moscow and North Ossetian city of Beslan Patrushev pointed out that the headquarters for informing the foreign partners was working under Russiaâs FSB and âsecurity services of a number of foreign states displayed readiness to provide practical assistance to usâ in the efforts. According to the FSB director, âMany of them offered their databases for checking the necessary information.â In the words of Patrushev, âSuch reaction of the partners to the Dubrovka theatre and Beslan events promoted deepening of our interaction in the sphere of fighting against international terrorism.â The FSB chief noted that the understanding of the fact that Russia is facing in the Caucasus, and in Chechnya, in particular, not only separatism, but international terrorism as well is gradually coming not only to Russia, but also to other countries. âI would like to stress simultaneously that we live in Russia, which is a multinational and poly-confessional country and are sure that it is categorically inadmissible to identify terrorism with a certain nationality, religion or culture,â Patrushev said. âThe fight against terrorism should bring closer together all the international community members and become a catalyst for the creation under the UN aegis of a global system of counteraction to new challenges and threats,â the Russian FSB director noted. Hew said as well there should be âno double standards in the fight against terrorism, otherwise such fight becomes less effective,â Patrushev said. âRussia and its allies have a common understanding of this fundamental principle,â Patrushev said. âProviding to terrorists, their supporters and sponsors asylum and backing in fact means the justification and even more - encouragement of their crimes. Such steps undermine unity and mutual trust of the antiterrorist coalition participants,â the FSB director emphasised. âIn this connection the following facts cannot but cause regret â Great Britain is still providing asylum to Zakayev who is accused of serious crimes, the United States provides asylum to another figure of the Ichkeria republic â Akhmadov who acts under the cover of a mask of the fighter for independence and in actual fact he was engaged in terrorist and extremist activities in the Russian territory. Nukhayev and Udugov who are also hiding abroad have not been extradited to the Russian side as well,â Patrushev said. The FSB director also said, âIn the process of the expansion of international cooperation the exchange of secret information is growing, including interstate, political and military-technical issues.â âOn these issues we are working with our partners on the basis of intergovernmental agreements in the sphere of protection of secret information signed by the Russian Federation government,â Patrushev noted. According to him, Russia has signed â29 such agreements, including nine - with countries members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), 17 â with the Western states and three multilateral agreements within the framework of the CIS, CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation),â the FSB director said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |