Rossiiskaya Gazeta No. 206 October 30, 2002 [translation for personal use only] PUTIN COULD NOT SATISFY THE CAPITULATION DEMAND By Mikhail GORBACHEV, president of the Soviet Union
An incredibly cruel and inhuman tragedy has shaken Russia. Many circumstances are yet to be clarified but what happened is a tragedy also for Europe and the rest of the world on a par with the September 11, 2001 one. In both cases suicide terrorists were involved. There were women in the suicide team in Moscow. I have said more than once that modern problems are great and their solution lies somewhere in the future. But it is inadmissible to try to resolve them with the use of violence, let alone terrorist methods, when innocent people suffer and the problems are not resolved but driven deeper inside.
I am deeply worried at what is happening in the world. A devilish plan is being enacted in the world, from Bali to Moscow, which seems to be designed to drive the world crazy. Standing behind the group that took hostages in the Dubrovka theatre centre is a terrorist "general staff" that devised the operation. There is not the least doubt that we must step up the fight against terrorism, make it more effective and spearhead it above all at preventing terrorist acts.
The counter-terror coalition should be not only maintained but also expanded. We are facing years of hard fighting, a war which humankind has never fought before. It will change the lives of people throughout the world in the next few years. Yet we must fight this war. On the other hand, we must never forget that the liquidation of terrorist groups of the international terrorist network cannot cure humankind of this terrible disease. Its cure calls for resolving many real and practical economic, social, cultural and religious problems. In other words, we must try to remove the causes of all kinds of conflicts.
We should first and foremost focus our attention on the vast regions plagued by poverty, hunger, thirst and diseases. If we try to defeat terrorism only by using military methods, we will not succeed.
No single country can resolve the problem by shrinking into its national borders. And this is true of all countries, including the world's only superpower, the USA. The Russian leaders are drawing conclusions from the recent tragedy and are taking a package of measures designed to ensure the safety of people. The danger has not retreated. And all vital centres of the country should be protected firmly and reliably.
President Putin acted calmly and responsibly in the recent emergency conditions. I know what it cost him. But he could not satisfy the capitulation demand. It was unthinkable. Dialogue with terrorists proved impossible. They did not accept the offer of life for the release of the hostages. All attempts at negotiations failed.
Meanwhile, the hostage standoff turned dramatic. The hostages had nothing to eat or drink, were not allowed to move around or use toilets. They could not even talk with each other being at gun-point in that hall crammed with explosives that could turn the building to rubble and the hostages and terrorists to pulp. And the terrorists constantly threatened to start killing people unless their main demands are satisfied.
It became clear that negotiations would not save the hostages. Indeed, the situation could become catastrophic unless resolute actions were taken quickly. In a way, delay with taking action could result in terrible tragedy. Those who carried out the special operation to free the hostages took incredible risks because it takes microseconds to detonate tens of kilos of explosives. Thank God the bulk of the hostages were saved. But the price was high indeed. This is the tragedy of not only the families of the victims but also of the country as a whole.
President Putin has to do the hard work of clearing up the problems he inherited from his predecessors. They include chaos, poverty, corruption and the open wound of Chechnya. The November 1994 ultimatum which Boris Yeltsin presented to the Chechen authorities turned into a drawn-out war with all its problems, destruction, refugees and death. It should be said, for justice' sake, that President Putin distanced himself from those who had unleashed the war. He initiated dialogue and attempted to launch a peaceful revival of Chechnya. Maybe the efforts taken towards this end were not enough. But they were made and the Chechen side has not rejected them.
There is too much blood, hatred and loss of human life. This is affecting the reconciliation process in Chechnya. After what has happened in Moscow, we will have to analyse our policy with regard to Chechnya anew and redouble efforts to restore the republic. Chechens may nurture their complaints, but a vast number of people see the need to choose peace. This does not suit those who are profiting from the war. It was said these past few days that the terrorist groups received 100 million dollars for carrying on the struggle against the federal authorities.
I have recently voiced the supposition that some forces abroad would very much like Russia to remain in the bog of the Chechen war. And it seems to me now that these fears are justified. The Russian leaders and people have a right to expect a compassionate attitude to and understanding of their problems, which we want to resolve peacefully, by political methods. On the other hand, it should be clear that Moscow will not accept the creation of a fundamentalist Islamic state in Chechnya. At the same time, I am convinced that it will take far-reaching measures to preserve Chechnya as an inalienable part of Russia, an autonomous territory with a status that would satisfy the fundamental interests of the Chechen people.
The plans of the ideologists of Chechen extremism, such as Movladi Udugov, about the creation of an Islamic state in the North Caucasus shall not be implemented. The press is writing now that in this situation President Putin will be pressurised into changing his stand on the Iraqi problem. I think that what happened has no connection with the war in the Middle East. And all attempts to establish any connection are doomed to failure. Because there is no and can be no connection. Consequently, this cannot influence the Kremlin decision.
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