Ichkeria in talks again (weekly review) By Vadim Borshchev, special to Prague Watchdog
Akhmed Zakayev’s contacts with Grozny are as mysterious as they are uninteresting. It is now clear that a meeting did take place in Norway between Zakayev and the chairman of the Chechen parliament, Dukhvakha Abdurakhmanov – the London exile himself does not deny the fact. He simply refuses to call what is happening “talks”, preferring the term “preliminary consultations".
Already a few weeks ago Zakayev told Radio Svoboda that the Chechen authorities had offered him talks and that these would take place in the very near future. It appears that the present “contacts” are still encountering some stumbling-blocks, and that there are problems in elevating them to the format of a proper dialogue.
Ramzan Kadyrov has already spoken out several times on the question of why he needs Zakayev. Zakayev is to help to bring about long-term stability in the republic and to persuade his supporters in Europe to return home. Moreover. the head of Chechnya has expressed himself about his opposite number in terms that are less than respectful, indicating among Zakayev’s merits his ability to "use fine words”. As described by Kadyrov, Zakayev’s employment opportunities in today's Chechnya do not look very attractive, to say the least. The post of manager of cinema and concert hall manager is unlikely to entice the head of the government of Independent Chechnya. Indeed, the proposal sounds like a deliberate insult, although the simple-minded Kadyrov may well have cobbled it together in a hurry.
But the real problem is that Zakayev refuses to make any comment about the remarks that are being addressed to him from Grozny – even Kadyrov’s recent statement that he would close the door to Chechnya if Zakayev delayed his decision any longer. This may signify that in London some intense deliberation is taking place on the options of what might be called technical cooperation with Grozny, and that the “last of the Ichkerians” is unwilling to take any chances with the prospects of such cooperation.
The reading of tea-leaves is never easy, but the lack of information compels us to it. Negotiations between two men, of whom one has devoted his political life to Russia and the other has turned his back on it, will be devoid of substance unless they are about Zakayev’s return. If Zakayev’s numerous statements are anything to go by, the ideal of a free Ichkeria has not faded for him, while the idea of negotiating with Russia for an end to the war and a civilized divorce seems as relevant to him now as it did to the late Aslan Maskhadov. Never once has Zakayev betrayed these positions, though many people thought his comment that Kadyrov had succeeded in decolonizing Chechnya, transforming it into a mono-ethnic state, were a prologue to capitulation. Decolonization is, however, only one step on the road to liberation. Zakayev has said more than once that Kadyrov's cooperation with the Russian authorities can only be regarded as treason.
From all of this it can be concluded that Zakayev is leading the negotiators from Chechnya up the garden path or, more simply, is trying to hoodwink them good and proper. He needs political weight, and the very fact of negotiations with senior Chechens officials supervised by Moscow is capable of enhancing his political reputation. Even the present vague shuffling of feet behind the scenes is arousing interest, and an open dialogue will be perceived as a political event of the first importance – though it is already clear that for Zakayev, the professional actor, the talks will not be anything more than another theatrical venue.
If one analyzes Zakayev’s speeches, it is easy to see that he does not plan to cede to Kadyrov the slivers of Ichkeria that are under his control. It is merely that during his long years in Europe he has become a politician who understands that a public show in which high-ranking Grozny androids take part will do him no harm. Kadyrov’s initiatives will add credibility to Zakayev’s statements and actions, and political capital of that kind is not to be sneezed at.
In his turn, the ingenuous Ramzan Kadyrov, who has not the faintest idea that he may be being used as a pawn in someone else's political game, is eagerly opening his arms to welcome his distant London friend. And he is tireless in his attempts to persuade Moscow that Zakayev wishes to return, and can do so.
Photo: Wikipedia.org. (Translation by DM) (P,DM)
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