Chechen leaders issue warning over Russian minister's remarks

Leaders of the breakaway southern Russian republic of Chechnya have warned that the statement by Russian Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov suggesting possible preventative strikes against rebel bases on Chechen territory may lead to a resumption of combat, ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Movladi Udugov said he anticipated an official reaction from the Kremlin to Kulikov's statement.

"We are hoping for an appropriate reaction from the Russian president and prime minister, but Anatoly Kulikov's statements may again destroy fragile cooperation and lead to a resumption of combat action," he told ITAR-TASS.

Kulikov earlier on Tuesday said Russian security forces would be justified if they took what he called preventative action against "bandits" in Chechnya.

The Russian Security Council later pointed out that Kulikov had been merely expressing his personal viewpoint.

Newly-appointed Chechen Premier Shamil Basayev indicated however that he shared Udugov's opinion.

"Only appropriate reactions from the Russian leaders to such statements can prevent the resumption of combat action and difficulties in relations between Moscow and Groznyy," he told the agency.

Such statements create "a new, very dangerous, spiral of tension" between Moscow and Groznyy, Basayev said.

"Preventative strikes do not frighten us. If they happen, we will take counter measures," he stated.

One of the main tasks of the new Chechen government was to start dealing with crime in the republic, he indicated.

"We ourselves don't need this anarchy," he said, adding that he favoured strengthening controls on the border with Dagestan.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.