BBC MONITORING

CHECHEN PRESIDENT'S OFFICE REJECTS BLAME FOR MOSCOW BLAST

Source: Chechenpress web site, Tbilisi, in Russian 9 Aug 00

The Russian government's attempts to blame Tuesday's explosion at Moscow's Pushkin Square on Chechen resistance fighters are "absolutely groundless", the press service of the rebel Chechen president said on Wednesday.

"The press service of the president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is authorized to declare officially that attempts to ascribe the terrorist act at Pushkin Square to Chechen resistance fighters are absolutely groundless," the statement said, quoted by Chechenpress news agency web site.

"Russia has bitter experience of some politicians not being averse to blowing up their own people's houses in Moscow, and in doing so trying to blame mythic Chechen militants for hundreds of innocent victims, in the name of achieving their ambitions and political conjectures," the statement said.

The Chechen leadership repeated its stance that "any acts of retribution by the Chechens will be directed exclusively against military installations and directly against those taking part in the military operation in Chechnya."

"Unlike the Russian leadership, the president and the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria have never permitted and will never in the future permit any actions directed against civilians, either in Chechnya or in the Russian Federation," the statement said.

The rebel Chechen leadership and the press service of President Aslan Maskhadov expressed condolences to the relatives of those killed and "voices its deep indignation at this incident", the agency stated.