GROZNY, July 29 (RIA Novosti) - Certain political forces in Europe and the U.S. are attempting to use Basayev and other terrorist leaders to destabilize the situation in Russia, Chairman of the Chechen State Council Taus Dzhabrailov said, commenting on an interview with Basayev that aired on the U.S. TV network ABC.
"The West refuses to draw parallels between the terrorist acts in the U.S., Great Britain, and Russia," he said. "Western politicians attempt to find different explanations and definitions for the terrorist acts in Russia, stating that the fight against terrorism must be put within certain margins. However, if the blasts destroy subway stations or buildings in Europe or the U.S., they unanimously call them acts of terror committed by international terrorists."
"Basayev serves the enemies of Russia, and those forces in the West that used to play Maskhadov's card do not hesitate to cooperate with this international terrorist today," the Chechen official said.
According to Dzhabrailov, the goal of Basayev and his followers is to "destroy Russia."
Shamil Basayev took part in the hijacking of a Russian Tu-154 passenger plane en route to Turkey. In 1994, he participated in military actions against Russian federal troops in Chechnya. In the summer of 1995, he organized an assault on a hospital in Budennovsk (the Stavropol Territory bordering Chechnya), which left many dead. In 1999 he led a terrorist attack in Dagestan. He ran for the Chechen presidency, but lost to Aslan Maskhadov. During an assault by federal troops on Grozny in February 2000, Basayev triggered a landmine and lost a leg. He has taken responsibility for numerous terrorist acts. He has been on Russia's and Interpol's most-wanted lists since 1996.
