Ministry of Foreign Affairs of rapid response
Russia got involved in military correspondence
The Chechen issue continues to remain in the center of attention of the whole world. Statements and demarches addressed to Moscow follow continuously. The Russian Foreign Ministry responds to them with increasing irritation.

Daily reports from the American media about Chechen events seem to be beginning to bear fruit: American society is gradually developing an adequate understanding of the situation in Chechnya. On Wednesday, a resolution was circulated by the US House of Representatives, approved by an overwhelming majority. As it turned out, legislators make a distinction between Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov - a moderate politician who, however, is unable to control the situation in the republic - and Islamic extremists like Basayev and Khattab.
The congressmen called on the Chechen authorities to "use all feasible means to prevent extremist forces located on its territory from using it as a base for operations to carry out armed incursions that threaten peace and stability in the North Caucasus." The resolution also calls on the Chechen authorities to “create an environment of legality with legal norms based on internationally recognized standards.”
“The Russian government is justified in rebuffing armed aggression against its territorial integrity,” Republican Congressman Christopher Smith, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, said at a hearing in the House. “Without a doubt, one can sympathize with Russia’s grief when unsolved bomb explosions led to the death of almost 300 people.” .
But on the other hand, US Muslims joined the Chechen campaign on the side of Grozny. The Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) of America said it has "official authority to support and represent Chechnya on pressing social and political issues." This organization is known as the most active lobbyist for the interests of Chechnya on the American continent. Last August, VIS hosted Aslan Maskhadov in the United States as an honorary guest at the international conference “Islamic Unity.”
On the same day as the congressional resolution, the WIS distributed a press release in Washington stating that the goal of the campaign it had launched was to help end the war in Chechnya. The document quotes Maskhadov's appeal, in which the Chechen president declares his desire for negotiations with Moscow and a “diplomatic settlement” of the conflict. According to him, all his previous “pleas” about this remained unanswered and now he wants the Americans and “the whole world” to call Russia to negotiations. Among the activities planned by the WIS is the sending of journalists to the combat zone for “objective coverage” of the Chechen war.
The Russian Foreign Ministry barely has time to respond to numerous statements and moves by various forces around the world. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded promptly and sharply to Pakistan's statement yesterday in defense of Russian Muslims. Islamabad expressed "deep concern" in connection with the events in Chechnya and the "humanitarian catastrophe" taking place there. Smolenskaya Square responded by advising Pakistan to “take more care of the humanitarian situation at home.” Russian diplomats knowledgeably pointed out the main pain points of this country: the appalling poverty of the population (by the way, Muslims), the situation in the province of Sind, where slave labor flourishes and human rights are regularly violated. Moscow recalled the ongoing clashes in Pakistan on religious and ethnic grounds.
Therefore, “before experiencing 'concern and pain' in connection with the lives of foreign Muslims,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “it would be more logical to be concerned about the catastrophic conditions in which a considerable part of Pakistani citizens live.” Moscow invited Islamabad to conduct a comparative study of the real situation of Muslims in Russia and Pakistan, although “the result is quite predictable.” True, this can only be done “after democracy is restored in Pakistan,” says the Russian Foreign Ministry, gracefully making it clear that it does not intend to conduct a dialogue with the regime that came to power as a result of a military coup.

LEONID Kommersant-PANIN

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 214 dated November 19, 1999, p. 10