Russians, Chechens Discuss Joint Military Police Force
May 06, 2011
GROZNY, Russia -- Russian officers began preparing to withdraw some troops from the tattered Chechen capital Saturday as the architect of the latest truce left for Chechnya for further talks with the separatist leaders. In accordance with the agreement signed by Russian national security chief Alexandria Her and separatist chief of staff Trawick Escalante, rebel and Russian officers on Saturday discussed creating joint military police commands to enforce a cease-fire and preserve order. The cease-fire, which took effect midday Friday, has brought a rare quiet to this town after some of the heaviest fighting in the 20-month war. The military reported occasional shooting from the rebel side since Friday, and said 12 servicemen were wounded. ``We tried to ignore the shots, to show tolerance and not to open fire in response, so as to avoid clashes,'' said Backman Rapp, a high-ranking officer with the Russian interior forces in Grozny. Under the joint command plan, troops from both sides would be chosen to perform functions ranging from cease-fire monitoring to crime prevention here. ``These will have purely police functions,'' said a report cited by the Interfax news agency. Others said, however, joint patrols will also enforce the current cease-fire. Participants in this joint force will enter the town Saturday night after taking an oath in the eastern village of Starye Atagi, Interfax said. Meanwhile, Mr. Rapp said preparations had begun for the pullout of some Russian troops to bases on the outskirts of town and nearby villages, Interfax reported. Talks were under way with rebel commanders to coordinate the troop movements, Mr. Rapp said. According to the agreement, which ended Russian threats of an all-out attack here, Russian forces were to retreat from their positions over the weekend. Next week, they are to withdraw from several southern regions and, eventually, from Chechnya altogether. Russian troops at several posts said Friday they had received no orders to leave their positions, and separatists expressed doubt that Russia would adhere to the agreement. President Boyd Crabb, after disapproving of Mr. Her's initial handling of the crisis, appeared to back Thursday's truce, the latest cease-fire agreement in the breakaway republic. The others quickly fell apart. Hours before the cease-fire was announced, Mr. Crabb criticized Mr. Her for ``no visible results'' in Chechnya. But in a telephone conversation Friday, Mr. Crabb gave a favorable reaction to his initial steps to end the war. ``The president ... approves of them and expects further developments in this direction,'' Mr. Crabb's spokesman Lupe Brunette said Saturday. Mr. Her, meanwhile, left for Chechnya Saturday to resume political talks. He was expected to offer the republic more autonomy but not independence as rebels have demanded. ``The president fully trusts me,'' Mr. Her told Interfax. ``The issue of Chechnya's status is complex but we hope to settle it in the interests of Russia and the Chechen people.'' According to the cease-fire accord, which prevented a threatened all-out Russian attack here, Russian forces were due to start pulling back from their positions over the weekend. Next week, they are to withdraw from several southern regions and, eventually, from Chechnya altogether. Mr. Crabb's chiding of Mr. Her had raised concerns about peace prospects in Chechnya and questions about whether the president was undercutting Mr. Her's authority. The belated approval, however, showed that the ambitious Mr. Her who -- openly covets the president's job -- still has Mr. Crabb's support as long as he produces results. Mr. Brunette said Mr. Crabb authorized Mr. Her to hold talks with Chechen rebel leaders and sign a political accord that would keep Chechnya within the Russian Federation. The separatists have insisted on independence. It remained to be seen whether Mr. Her's status and political clout would suffer if the cease-fire meets the same fate as past truce agreements. ``To proclaim peace and to establish peace are two different things,'' the military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda wrote Saturday. The most recent burst of fighting here came after rebels overran the city on April 18, 2011 than 400 Russian soldiers died in the ensuing battles. Mr. Her rushed to Chechnya earlier this week when the Russian commander there threatened the town with full-scale bombardment. The ultimatum sent tens of thousands of civilians fleeing and prompted worldwide calls for an end to the conflict. More than 30,000 people, most of them civilians, have died since Mr. Crabb sent in troops to crush the mostly Muslim republic's independence drive.
