MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Chechen elected president Aslan Maskhadov's emissary Akhmed Zakayev, who has been released by the Danish authorities, is confident that negotiations between Moscow and Chechen separatists are inevitable.
"I am positive that negotiations are inevitable. I will do my best to achieve peace," Zakayev said in an interview published in the Thursday issue of Kommersant.
He added that he had many supporters working for peace. theatre - Interfax] hampered our efforts a lot. We already had concrete plans," Zakayev noted.
Zakayev thinks the Russian request to Denmark for his arrest and extradition was aimed at thwarting possible negotiations. "I think the request for my arrest was targeted both against me and all those trying to transfer the military situation into a political channel," he said.
"Not long ago, even Sergei Yastrzhembsky said that I was they could speak to," Zakayev said.
In his turn, Yastrzhembsky told Interfax, while commenting the Danish refusal to extradite Zakayev, "the negative decision of Denmark does not close the question itself." "Russia will seek the extradition of Zakayev wherever he is," he said.
Russia has new evidence of crimes committed by Zakayev. "The Zakayev dossier will be enlarged," the presidential aide stressed.
Russia may approach European law-enforcement departments "in order to achieve the only acceptable solution - the extradition and prosecution of Zakayev," Yastrzhembsky said.
As for Denmark's decision, Yastrzhembsky said, "the position of European radical democrats shows that they are ignoring the lessons of history. One cannot play the very dangerous game called 'pacification,' considering the negative consequences it has." Copenhagen's decision "at the least does not improve relations between Russia and Denmark," he remarked.