11 May 2004

Russia set to send 1,000 troops to Chechnya

More than 1,000 Russian troops are to be sent to Chechnya following the assassination of its President Akhmad Kadyrov and a number of government officials in a bomb blast on Sunday.

Separatist Chechen guerrillas have been blamed for the bombing which claimed the lives of seven people. An election to select Mr Kadyrov's replacement will take place in September.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council have voiced their "dismay and condemnation" at Sunday's terrorist attack in Grozny, which killed seven.

In a statement, the Secretary-General said that such acts could never be justified as he extended "his deepest condolences to the government of the Russian Federation and to the families of the victims".

The Security Council President for May, Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, read a statement in an open session yesterday condemning the perpetrators of the bomb attack, which came during the commemoration of Victory Day, the Russian Federation's most solemn national holiday.

The statement expressed the Council's deepest sympathy and condolences to the people and the government of the Russian Federation.

The Council statement added that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed".

(gmcg)