273
agreements with Russia. Moreover, in line, the Confederation’s Parliament adopted
an appeal to the Russian Federal Assembly and to the Russian President and
government and stressed that the multi-ethnic population of the Caucasus was
against military confrontation between Russia and Chechnya, and against the
invasion of Chechnya by Russian troops. Then, the session decided to convene an
extraordinary congress of the peoples of the North Caucasus in Nalchik or Maykop
on 10 December to discuss ways of rendering assistance to Chechnya.
655
On 6 December, a meeting was held between Pavel Grachev, Russian
Defense minister, and Dudayev in Mozdok, where both parties agreed to seek a
peaceful solution to conflict.
656
However, while Grachev was trying to make peace,
after a meeting of the Russian Security Council on 9 December, Yeltsin ordered his
government to restore order and disarm all armed factions in Chechnya.
657
In order to implement Yeltsin’s decree, troops of the Russian Federation
Defense and Interior ministries, moving in three columns entered the Chechen
territory on 11 December.
658
Meantime, the Confederation convened the extraordinary congress to
discuss the situation in the North Caucasus, specifically in Chechnya in Nalchik on
10-11 December 1994. At the end of the Congress, first of all, in order to meet the
representatives of the power ministries (defense, counterintelligence, and interior)
655
“Confederation of Caucasian Peoples pledges help for Chechnya if Russians invade,” SWB
SU/2171, B/6, 6 December 1994.
656
“Grachev meets Dudayev: talks deemed successful,” SWB SU/2173, B/3-4, 8 December 1994.
657
“Yeltsin orders Russian government to disarm Chechen groupings,” SWB SU/2176, B/1, 12
December 1994.
658
“Russian troops enter Chechnya,” SWB SU/2176, B/1-2, 12 December 1994.
274
of the Russian Federation in Vladikavkaz, a delegation was formed.
659
Then,
another delegation, which includes around 500 people, has been formed. This
delegation was intended to go to Grozny to form a human chain around the town in
order to avert a tragic development of events and to defend the city against the
Russian invasion.
660
Moreover, Congress sent telegrams to the President, chairmen of the
Federation Council and the State Duma, in which it demanded that the talks
processes should continue and that pressure by force should be stopped. In a
special statement, it was pointed out that “unless the tragic development of events
and the use of force halted, the peoples of the Caucasus would be called upon to
leave the Federation Treaty of the Russian Federation.”
661
Likewise, in the appeals
to the leaders of the North Osetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia
the Confederation demanded to hinder the movement of Russian troops towards
Chechnya. Moreover the Congress decided to set up an operational headquarters to
coordinate the activities of the Mountaineers in entire North Caucasus.
The Confederation with its all forces prepared itself to a ‘war’ with Russia
and Ali Aliyev, head of the Confederation’s parliament declared that in order to
coordinate the activities of the Confederation’s troops on the spot, the headquarters
659
This delegation arrived in Vladikavkaz on 13 December, before the talks between the Chechens
and Russians begin and handed proposals on reaching a settlement to the Russian delegation. See,
“Assaults on Groznyy threaten Chechen talks; opposition excluded,” SWB SU/2178, B/7, 14
December 1994.
660
Nevertheless, this project was failed because of the lack of support of the peoples of the North
Caucasus. See, “ITAR-TASS reports “human chain” to block NC road a failure,” SWB SU/2185,
B/4, 22 December 1994.
661
“Peoples of Caucasus threaten to leave Federation Treaty over Chechnya,” SWB SU/2177, B/11-
12, 13 December 1994.
275
of the Confederation would move from Sukhum to Grozny.
662
Then, on 14
December 1994, the Confederation of the Caucasian Peoples announced the
beginning of the mobilization of the volunteers to aid Grozny. Ali Aliyev, signed
the instructions to the members of the Confederation where he asked the formation
of mobilization centers in Sukhum (Abkhazia), Lazarevo (Krasnodar territory),
Maykop (Adygeya), Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkessia), Vladikavkaz (North
Osetia), Nazran (Ingushetia), Makhachkala (Dagestan) and Nalchik (Kabarda-
Balkaria). In addition, operational centers were to be set up in Nalchik and Grozny
to coordinate the actions of volunteers. Amin Zekhov, the Vice-President of the
Confederation from Adygea (a member of the local parliament also), charged with
the coordination of these operational centers.
663
In response, the Russian government issued a statement and pointed out that
these activities of the Confederation were illegal and formation of these
‘mobilization centers’ to recruit volunteers to fight for Chechnya in the Chechen
Republic and other areas of the Northern Caucasus should not be not allowed. The
statement stressed that the mobilization for active military service comes within the
exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian President.
664
Moreover, beyond the Russian protest, this decree for the mobilization of
the volunteers to fight in Chechnya resulted in a split among the Confederation
itself. The decision was signed by the head of the Confederation Parliament, Ali
662
“Confederation of Caucasian Peoples plans move to Groznyy,” SWB SU/2179, B/16, 15
December.
663
“Confederation of Caucasian Peoples begins mobilization of volunteers,” SWB SU/2180, B/9-10,
16 December 1994.
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