…SEPARATIST GOVERNMENT OUTRAGED.

On May 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria responded to the secretary’s statement by declaring: “The people and the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria express their outrage at the statement made by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell… Powell’s statement that ‘Russia is fighting terrorists in Chechnya, there’s no question about that’ is a misleading statement and an affront to the truth, decency and morality of the thousands of Chechens made homeless by Russia’s dirty war in Chechnya… We deplore these distorted statements, which appear to indicate a cynical shift in U.S. policy toward Chechnya on the eve of Russian preparations to forcibly deport the 150,000 Chechen refugees situated in neighboring Ingushetia. Powell’s statement is tantamount to a death sentence for the thousands of Chechen civilians who may be forcibly repatriated” (Press Release #10-798, May 30).