|
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday in Oslo, capital of Norway, that the Chechen issue is Russia's internal affair and it must be resolved by Russian and Chechen people alone.
Putin made the remarks following his meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who was also in Oslo on a working visit.
"The problem is so complicated that no one can give really good advice," Putin told a joint press conference held with Schroeder. He added that it is an internal Russian problem to be solved "between the Chechen people and the Russian federation,"
Schroeder said the Chechen conflict should be solved through peaceful political negotiations, and urged Russia to find a peaceful solution to the problem.
He expressed sympathy and support for the decisions taken by Moscow at the end of last month to rescue the hostages held by the Chechen rebels.
The two leaders agreed that the new UN Security Council resolution on weapons inspection in Iraq was an important step toward prevention of war.
Putin said he hoped that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would grasp the chance, while Schroeder called on other Arab countries to put pressure on Saddam to accept the new UN Security Council resolution.
Putin, who arrived in Oslo on Monday evening for a one-day official visit to Norway, is also expected to hold talks Tuesday with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik on bilateral ties and international issues of common concern.
(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2002)
|
