Due
to the fact that after the Enactments of CRI President on
reorganization of Cabinet Council of CRI (Chechen Republic of Ichkeria)
and bodies of foreign representatives of the Head of the Chechen State
were issued, many media published various comments and interpretations
of these Enactments, General Envoy of CRI President Abroad, Umar
Khanbiyev, has thereby made additional explanations for Chechen
representatives and for the media on this particular issue.
Umar Khanbiyev:
«Unfortunately, certain comments and attempts to give a false
interpretation of the Enactments of CRI President in a number of mass
media and among some Chechen representatives, are making me clarify
this issue.
President
clearly pointed and assigned functions and authorities to each Chechen
representative and member of CRI Government, hoping that the political
culture and anguish for the people and the country will prevail over
any personal ambitions. This is why it is important for all Chechen
representatives to refrain from erroneous interpretations of
President’s decisions.
It
concerns two issues. The first issue is that during a speech on Radio
Liberty Minister of Culture, Press and Information Akhmed Zakayev
expressed an opinion that the functions of branches of State Defense
Council 'Majlis al-Shura' of CRI and Members of the Government were
identical.
Second,
it is the statement made by Akhmed Zakayev in his interview to the
Kommersant newspaper (No. 143, dated 08-06-2004), claiming that
President Maskhadov allegedly confirmed some of his additional
authorities as 'Special Envoy' of CRI President.
On
the first issue I would like to point out that there is no redoubling
of functions among branches of State Defense Council and Cabinet
Council. All Members of Cabinet Council who are now in CRI are in the
head of the branches of State Defense Council Majlis al-Shura of CRI.
State
Defense Council is a government body during the time of war and it
solves appropriate tasks, involving political and defense functions.
Let me remind once again that SDC of CRI was confirmed by the Cabinet
Council of CRI.
Ministers
who are abroad on behalf of CRI President are charged with the
functions of Members of CRI Government, which have been assigned to
them by President and Head of the CRI Government Aslan Maskhadov.
You
shouldn’t be looking for parallels with peacetime in this issue. The
genocidal war has been going on for five years already, and CRI
leadership is acting in accordance with the missions and problems which
the Government is facing today.
On
the second issue: in his Enactments CRI President clearly assigned the
proper authorities among the Members of the Government and pointed that
some actions of certain government ministers were inappropriate,
including the actions of claiming the official powers that were not
confirmed by orders or enactments of CRI President.
No
instructions on additional powers, including the powers of Special
Envoy of CRI President have been delegated to Minister of Culture,
Press and Information of CRI Government Zakayev or to any other
Minister.
Had
there been any of such instructions, President would have given a
documentary notification (an order or an enactment would have been
issued) to his General Envoy, who has been entrusted to form the new
body of representatives and special envoys. However, today there are no
government officials who have been delegated the powers of Special
Envoy of CRI President.
In
this connection I can say that I was the one who recommended the
candidacy of Akhmed Zakayev as Envoy of CRI President in the
In
conclusion I would like to warn everyone: any statement made by a
government official that contradicts the official policies of the
Department of Strategic Information,