This will likely have little effect. If you were a Chechen rebel would you believe Putin?
President Vladimir Putin proposed granting amnesty today to Chechen separatists who agreed to lay down their arms by Aug. 1, but the offer would exclude any accused of murder, rape, kidnapping or other crimes. Mr. Putin's proposal followed two suicide attacks in Chechnya this week that had by today killed at least 77 people and shattered once again the Kremlin's assertions that peace and stability in the republic were at hand after 44 months of war. Today's proposal — submitted to the lower house of Parliament for a vote, which could come as soon as next week — appeared to be an effort to regain the political initiative that Mr. Putin's administration hoped to sustain after voters approved a new constitution for Chechnya in March. |