13 September 2001
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Shaimiev Calls for Opposing Terrorism, Not Peoples or Confessions�
Returning from Moscow, President Mintimer Shaimiev said in Kazan on 12 August said that he was �worried by the series of terrorist attacks in the US,� adding �I hope that after such a large scale-terror, this country will avoid dividing people according to their nationalities or confessions, which would make countries confront each other.� In president�s words, �terrorism is terrorism, terrorists have to be tracked down and punished, irrespectively of what ethnic group of religion they are.�
�Expresses Condolences to American People
The same day Shaimiev sent a message to US Ambassador in Moscow Alexander Vershbow, calling the terrorist attacks �an unprecedented tragedy� and expressing the condolences of the people of Tatarstan to the relatives of those whose lives were lost.
Tatar Writer Says Terror Won�t Bend American People�s Will
Tatar writer and deputy chairman of the Tatarstan State Council Robert Minnullin told RFE/RL on 12 August that the tragic developments in the US �were absolutely unexpected,� adding that �no force is able to bend the entire country�s will.� In his words, �these events will radically change our world� we share the sorrow of American people.�
Tatarstan to Increase Oil Supplies to Moscow
President Mintimer Shaimiev and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov signed a long-term cooperation accord in the sphere of fuel and energy on 12 September. The Moscow mayor said that �Tatneft oil company is welcome to the oil market of Moscow,� noting that the company�s work there would bring benefits to Russian capital, Tatarstan and all of Russia.
Tatarstan�s Muslim Leader Condemns Terrorism
Tatarstan�s Muslim Religious Board chairman Gusman khazret Iskhaqi told Tatarinform on 12 September that he condemned the terrorist acts. He expressed his deepest regret on the death of thousands on innocent people caused by �a barbaric act.� In his words, �terrorists didn�t have any ethnic identity of confession and had to be punished.�
Illiteracy Among Draftees
Deputy PM Zilya Valeeva said on 12 September that according to the republican military commissioner�s office reports, some of the recruits from Tatarstan were totally illiterate because they had never gone to school. She called these facts �a disgrace for Tatarstan.� Valeeva emphasized that �non-governmental organizations had to care more about the homeless children,� acknowledging that the government was unable to help every one of them.
Russian Land Forces Commander Visits Kazan
Colonel General Nikolai Kormiltsev, the commander of Russian land forces, visited Kazan on 12 September to inspect the local tank and artillery training centers, Tatnews reported.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
Deputy Says Terrorist Acts an International Tragedy
Rim Bakiev, a Duma deputy and the head of Fatherland in Bashkortostan, said on 12 September that acts of terrorism in the United States are an international tragedy. He called for uniting efforts of all those against terrorism so that �the entire earth would not become a hot spot.�
Tadjutdin Expresses Condolences, Backs Putin�s Anti-Terrorist Policy
Mufti Talgat Tadjutdin told Bashinform on 12 September that he categorically condemns terrorist actions in the U.S. and expressed his condolence to the American people. He supported efforts by President Vladimir Putin on fighting international terrorism including terrorism using Islam as a cover. Tadjutdin said Islam had never justified murder of innocent people, and he called on all countries to unite for fighting terrorism.
Mufti Says Terrorism, Islam Incompatible
Mufti of the Bashkortostan Muslim Religious Board Nurmukhammad khazrat Nigmatullin said on 12 September that Islam and terrorism are incompatible. He said he is concerned about attempts to connect terrorism with Islam. Terrorists who have killed innocent peaceful persons are sinners, he added.
Ufa Intensifies Security Measures
Bashkortostan�s security bodies have taken extra measures to prevent terrorist attempts, Bashinform reported on 12 September.
Bashkortostan to Compile Its Own Red Book
The cabinet on 12 September issued a resolution on the creation of a Bashkortostan Red Book to identify rare and disappearing flora and fauna in the republic, the presidential press service reported. The book will be published once a decade.
Bashkir Leader Promotes Bashkortostan�s Popular Front
Ural Bashkir popular center head Ekhter Bosqynov told RFE/RL�s Tatar-Bashkir Service on 12 September that �Russia has never given possibility to non-Russian peoples to grow, and they must provide their development themselves or may receive any help only from other non-Russian peoples.� Moscow seeks to eliminate the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan and to equalize them with oblasts and krais, he said, noting that the public leaders of the two republics must develop mechanism to counteract these efforts. He said �Tatarstan has always been a model for us� and called for setting up a popular front in Bashkortostan like the one created in the sister-republic. He stressed that the top idea of such organization must be defense of the right of self-determination of Russia�s Muslim peoples.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova