Today, "Zakaev's armistice" should start in Chechnya

The armistice - stop of warfare against employees of power agencies, except for self-defence cases, announced by the government of non-recognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI) should come into force today in Chechnya. This initiative was put forward by Ahmed Zakaev, former emissary of Chechen separatists and now presenting himself as "the prime-minister of the government of Ichkeria in exile", after the negotiations that he held in Oslo with Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov, speaker of the Chechen parliament.

However, Mr Zakaev is already for almost ten years outside Chechnya, and the ChRI that he officially represents was disbanded by its last President Doku Umarov, who declared in autumn of 2007 creation in the territory of Northern Caucasus of a new state formation under the name of "Imarat Kavkaz", where Ichkeria is one of the regions. Therefore, the armistice announced by Zakaev, may not become a reality, as local observers remark.

Earlier, answering a question of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the sense of this decision made by the parliament and government of the ChRI for supporters of the "Imarat Kavkaz", headed by field commander Doku Umarov, Ahmed Zakaev said he had no doubts that the decision will be fulfilled by all subdivisions subordinate to ChRI's structures.

See earlier reports: "Zakaev: many Umarov's supporters will obey warfare moratorium in Chechnya", "Akhmed Zakayev calls on Chechen separatists to stop armed resistance," "Former Chechen separatist leaders: Maskhadov was ready to lay down arms".