The Hindu : International / Globescan : Chechnya President sworn in

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Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

International

International - Globescan

Chechnya President sworn in

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: A new pro-Russia President was installed in Chechnya on Tuesday as Moscow attempts to re-launch a pacification process interrupted by the assassination of the previous Chechen leader five months ago. Alu Alkhanov, the 47-year-old former Interior Minister elected Chechnya's President in August, was sworn in in the capital Grozny amid tight security at a ceremony kept secret until the last moment. His predecessor, Akhmad Kadyrov, was killed by a bomb in Grozny in May. The latest presidential election in Chechnya was shadowed by a spate of Chechen terrorist attacks which included the downing of two Russian airliners and a bloody hostage drama at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in which hundreds of people died. Notwithstanding the attacks, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, pushed ahead with his plan to hand over responsibility for ending rebel resistance to pro-Moscow Chechens. In an interview Mr. Alkhanov indicated readiness to negotiate with moderate rebel leaders.

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