RESORT ELECTION
Izvestia, August 20, 2003, p. 3 EV
The Karachaevo-Cherkessia Election Committee set a date of the second round of voting in the election of the president of the republic. Mustafa Batdiyev, the head of the republican National Bank, (about 42% in the first tour) and Vladimir Semenov, the present president, (37%) will struggle against each other on August 31. There was also a spontaneous meeting in Karachayevsk yesterday. The participants of the meeting demanded to abolish the results of the election, because of “some violations”. Islam Burlakov, the chairman of the Supreme Court of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, who was the third on the results of the first round and got almost 13% of votes. Burlakov participated in the election as an opponent of Vladimir Semenov. However, it would be politically incorrect to add his 13% to the 42% of Batdiyev. The support of the communists for Islam Burlakov (the chairman of the Supreme Court was not the only candidate of the party) doesn’t mean that the Communist Party and its voters will vote for Mustafa Batdiyev – a kind of “Karachaevo-Cherkessia Chubais”, who was one of the initiators of privatization in the early 1990s.
PUTIN LOOKS AT THE MAKS AVIATION EXPO
Izvestia, August 20, 2003, p. 3 EV
President Vladimir Putin examined yesterday the materiel at the Zhukovsky airfield at the MAKS-2003 aviation expo. Starting with examination of exhibits at Sukhoi’s stands, the president paid a special attention to the modernized Su-27 SM. He stepped up on the special podium and examined the cockpit of the fighter. Besides, Putin boarded a BE-200ChS amphibian plane, which had been produced at the request of the Emergencies Ministry. Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin about the technical parameters of the plane. Then the president continued the examination of the pavilions of the expo. Putin examined the stands displaying some promising developments of Russian equipment for both military and civilian purposes and acquainted himself with the MiG corporation display, with some technical training facilities.
ANOTHER PARTICIPANT OF BASAYEV’S RAID ON BUDENNOVSK SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 20, 2003, EV
Stavropol territorial court passed sentence on Aslan Yedisultanov, a 27-year-old member of illegal armed formations, who took part in the raid by Basayev on Budennovsk in June 1995. Then 129 citizens were killed and 415 wounded.
Yedisulatnov was arrested by the officers of the FSB department of Stavropol territory in Chechnya this February. The investigation managed to collect enough evidence, which proved that he had joined the so-called reconnaissance and diversionary battalion of Shamil Basayev of his own free will and had participated in the raid upon Budennovsk. Yedisultanov was pleading not guilty during the whole process. However, the investigation determined that he together with other bandits had watched over the hostages, who had been hold in the building of the city hospital by the fighters. Aslan Yedisultanov took an active part in the operations in Chechnya after Budennovsk events. He had hidden under different names since 1999.
The court brought in a verdict of guilty of terrorism, brigandage, androlepsy and criminal possession of arm to Yedisultanov and sentenced him to 11 years of imprisonment. As an attenuating circumstance, the court took into account the fact that the accused had three small children.
16 fighters of Basayev’s gang had been sentenced to 10-15 years of imprisonment during the previous “Budennovsk” processes. Four wait for their processes. The retrieval of the other participants of the raid upon Budennovsk is going on.
Stavropol
MOSCOW LIFTS SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ
Trud, August 20, 2003, EV
Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting some economic sanctions against Iraq in accordance with resolution 1483 of the UN Security Council. At the same time, the financial assets and economic resources of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Russia should be frozen. The frozen funds and property are transferred to the Foundation of Development of Iraq. If UN Security Council doesn’t reach another decision, private individuals and non-governmental organizations can sue the present government if Iraq for these funds or resources.
