POLITICS: United Against Terrorism, Divided Over What It Is

By Kester Kenn Klomegah Reprint | | Print |

Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW, Jul 20 2005 (IPS) - Russia has initiated new measures to strengthen an alliance against terrorism, but remains in conflict with Western governments on what constitutes terrorism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement after the London blasts that he had the confidence that "the world community, discarding double standards in the assessment of bloody crimes such as the one that has been committed in London, will have enough strength to stand firm against terror."

Putin was referring clearly to the political asylum granted to separatists from Russian province Chechnya where Islamic separatists have been fighting a bloody war with Russian forces. Chechen separatist emissaries Akhmed Zakayev and Ilya Akhmadov have been granted political asylum in Britain and the United States respectively.

"The fact that persons (such as Akhmed Zakayev or Ilya Akhmadov) who are on international wanted lists for terrorist crimes, receive political asylum, and the freedom to travel in some countries arouses concern," Russian presidential envoy for international cooperation in fighting terrorism and international organised crime Anatoly Safonov told IPS.

"We need unity and a common vision of goals in combating terrorism," Safonov said. "The use of a double standard approach and the division of terrorists into good and bad is absolutely unacceptable."

Russia is actively taking part in preparing recommendations to the UN security council on expanding the black list of organisations and individuals involved in terrorism, he said.

"The terrorist attacks in London, as well as the tragic events on Dubrovka (the theatre in Moscow where terrorists held people hostage) and in Beslan (where more than 300 died after terrorists held schoolchildren hostage) are links of the same chain of international terrorism’s evil deeds, which we can fight only when united," says a statement published on the foreign ministry’s official website.

Chairman of Russia’s state duma international affairs committee Konstantin Kosachyov called on Russian law enforcement agencies to be more efficient in seeking the extradition of Akhmed Zakayev.

While British authorities would step up their efforts to dismantle terrorist networks in Britain, they are not likely respond to Russia’s repeated appeals to extradite those Moscow has labelled terrorists, Kosachyov said.

Britain is also not likely to end its repeated calls for Russia to find a political solution to the conflict in Chechnya, even though there is no authoritative moderate rebel leader left after the murder of Aslan Maskhadov in February.

A British court has declined Russia’s request to extradite Zakayev, who has been charged with involvement in terrorist activities.

Moscow-based defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said last week that the London attacks Jul. 7 had once again demonstrated the lack of true international cooperation in the war on terrorism. There were abundant expressions of solidarity from around the world and from leaders gathered for the Group of Eight summit in Gleneagles, but there was no genuine coherent action.

Felgenhauer said Moscow too is undermining anti-terrorist solidarity. "The Pentagon states that the main bases for terrorists operating in Iraq are Syria and, to a lesser extent, Iran.. Syria and Iran are the main sponsors and safe heavens of Islamist terrorists, and at the same time enjoy close political and military ties with Russia."

The grand anti-terrorist coalition that seemed to have emerged after the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks is now practically nonexistent. Russia is moving to counter terrorism through a new alliance among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS – Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan).

As one of the measures, the CIS counter-terrorist centre headed by Boris Mylnikov has presented a concept for cooperation to the CIS council of prime ministers.

"A draft programme for cooperation in the fight against terrorism for 2005-2007 is being prepared for signature by the CIS prime ministers’ council," Mylnikov told IPS.

Russia and all the other member-countries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organisation (BSEC – Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Romania, the State of Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine) plan to exchange information on terrorist organisations, groups and people, and work in cooperation to prevent terrorist attacks, he said.