Word: chechnya
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What of the substance? It could have gone worse, but not by much. Given America's sorry record of failing to seriously protest Moscow's brutal repression in Chechnya, it wasn't surprising that Yeltsin ignored Clinton's human-rights lecture. An internal matter, Yeltsin fumed at the press conference before asserting that the conflict had ended anyway -- a lie Clinton lamely let pass. As for the cash-starved Russians' desire to sell nuclear technology to Iran, the issue was referred to a commission, which may or may not resolve the question to Washington's satisfaction -- a good result, said...
TIME: Why was it necessary to launch the war on Chechnya? Has the conflict indeed strengthened the Russian state...
...Yeltsin: Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation, and what happens in Chechnya happens on the territory of a single state -- the Russian Federation. You might recall that in 1787 the population of Wyoming Valley sought to secede from Pennsylvania and form its own state. The executive council answered that challenge with orders to a unit of the state's militia to arrest their leader. We found ourselves in a similar situation under different circumstances in different times. [Chechen rebel leader Jokhar] Dudayev had launched an armed rebellion with the goal of destroying the integrity of the Russian Federation...
TIME: You have declared a V-E holiday moratorium in Chechnya, but the other side has said they will fight on. How will you find an end to this bloody and costly conflict...
TIME: Are you bothered by the drop in your public ratings? Yeltsin: To be honest, I am much more concerned about other things-the continuing drop in the standard of living of Russians, the decline of several major industries, the situation in Chechnya, crime and so on. I wasn't elected President to ensure myself a high rating. Everyone will like you if you do nothing or take wait-and-see positions, transferring the responsibility to others. I'm not like this. In carrying out these kinds of reforms, you have to resort to unpopular measures. So the choice...