Head of Chechnya's MIA calls militants to come back home

At the meeting with relatives of participants of armed formations, held in the Vedeno District of Chechnya, Ruslan Alkhanov, Interior Minister, has stated that "he guarantees objective and impartial consideration of the problems of those militants who will come back."

"I give my personal guarantees to those, who will surrender to law enforcement bodies, that an individual and objective investigation will be held in relation to every participant of bandit formations, and an impartial decision will be made," said Mr Alkhanov in Vedeno district capital.

"Today, we should return those lost guys who were fraudulently involved in gangs; many of them are kept there by means of threats," the Minister believes.

In their turn, the relatives of IAF members have assured the Minister that "they would do everything possible to persuade their children to come back home."

Local observers remark that recently the republic's leaders have strained their efforts to bring back home not only the militants who still hide in the mountains, but also those former IAF participants who now live abroad.

See earlier reports: "Former Chechen separatist leaders: Maskhadov was ready to lay down arms," "Zakaev and Baraev get back to Chechnya," "Human rights activist from Chechnya asks Russian President to get into the case of former militant."