MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Chechen president-elect Akhmad Kadyrov has spoken in favor of eventually withdrawing federal troops from the republic, except for permanently deployed units.
"As soon as I sense that we have grown sufficiently strong and the Chechen Interior Ministry is fully established and staffed, I will ask for troops to be withdrawn and those that should remain on a permanent basis (the 42 motorized rifle division and the 46th brigade of the Interior Ministry Force - Interfax) to be deployed," he told a Friday news conference at the Interfax central office.
Kadyrov said he intends to propose a number of steps to the federal leadership to improve the coordination of law enforcement and military authorities. "We are not satisfied with their coordination. There are separate groupings that are not even subordinate to each other," he said.
"There are problems involving the loss of life and crimes that should by no means be permitted," Kadyrov said.
Nevertheless, he reported positive results in recent law enforcement actions. "If you compare the years 2001, 2002 and 2003, the difference is great, but I should reduce to zero the negative things happening to civilians," he said.