7 September 2005
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Ex-Guantanamo Prisoner Appeals His Arrest
Tatarstan resident Airat Wakhitov, who was held prisoner at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, released, and then arrested in Tatarstan, has appealed to the Tatar Supreme Court a recent decision by a Chally court on his arrest, Regnum-VolgaInform reported on 6 September, citing the Tatar Supreme Court. On 27 September, Wakhitov and another former Guantanamo prisoner, Rostem Ekhmerov, were detained in Moscow for allegedly being involved in terrorist acts in Tatarstan and were sent to their home republic. The 29 August verdict by the Chally court led to the two being arrested. Both were freed on 2 September after an investigation failed to provide evidence of the charges against them.
Chechen Friendship Train In Kazan
A "Friendship Train" from Chechnya arrived in Kazan on 5 September as part of a Russian-wide cultural information project during which a Chechen delegation headed by Prime Minister Sergei Abramov visited 22 Russian regions, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported on 6 September.
At a press conference in Kazan, Chechen Deputy Economic Development Minister Alvi Visaev said that a project to assemble KamAZ autos in Chechnya is being negotiated by the two sides.
A cooperation agreement between Tatarstan's Mass Communications Agency Tatmedia, the Tatar-Inform news agency, and Chechnya's Groznyi-Inform agency was signed on 5 September.
Deputy Promotes Tatar-Language Competence For State Employees
At a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on the Formation of State Bodies and Local Self-Government on 6 September, State Council Deputy Robert Minnullin proposed an amendment to the republican law on state civil service making knowledge of Tatarstan's two state languages to be mandatory, intertat.ru reported on 6 September.
The proposal was then rejected by the committee, which said that conceptual amendments cannot be made during a law's third reading. Minnullin said he will appeal to the State Council session for the legislation to be returned for a second reading.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
Bashkir Government Establishes Joint Airline With VIM-Avia
Bashkortostan's government and the owner of the Moscow-based VIM-Avia airline, Rashid Mursekaev, established a joint Bashkortostan air company in which the republic will own a blocking stake, "Kommersant-Daily" wrote on 7 September. Mursekaev will reportedly contribute eight of 12 aircraft that will make up the new company's fleet.
Meanwhile, Bashkir Airlines is reportedly entering negotiations with KrasAir to establish an alliance to rival the new venture.
LDPR Maintains High Presence In Municipal Elections
The conference of Bashkir branch of the ultranationalist Russian Liberal-Democratic Party (LDPR) nominated some 30 candidates for the republic's municipal elections to be held on 30 October. In a previous round of municipal elections in June, just two of some 40 LDPR candidates won.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi