20:21 14/03/2007

MOSCOW, March 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's president said Wednesday a former separatist minister of Chechnya, Umar Khambiyev, could return to Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic.

Khambiyev arrived in Italy Tuesday and asked Prime Minister Romano Prodi for political asylum.

"There will be a place for the former Chechen health minister if he chooses to return to a peaceful life," Vladimir Putin told a news conference in Bari, southern Italy, on the last day of his two-day visit.

Khambiyev was health minister in the government of "independent Ichkeria", the name Chechen separatists gave to the republic. He was later appointed a foreign envoy for Aslan Maskhadov, the former president of Ichkeria, and arrived in Italy Tuesday.

Khambiyev's brother, Magomed, was defense minister in Maskhadov's government and is a Chechen parliamentarian now.

Aslan Maskhadov, involved in a Moscow theater hostage taking in 2002, was killed in Chechnya by Russian forces two years ago.

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<div style="border:1px solid #d3d3d3; padding:17px 0 0px 17px; background:#ffffff; width:510px;"><div style="width:100%; overflow:hidden;"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070314/62018846.html" style="text-decoration:none;"><img src="http://en.rian.ru/i/eng/logo_sml.gif" alt="RIA Novosti" title="RIA Novosti" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;" border="0" /></a><a target="_blank" href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070314/62018846.html" style="color:#000000;text-decoration:none;display: block; margin: 0 10px 0 0 ;"><strong style="font:19px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif; line-height:16px; font-weight:bold;">Russia ready to let in separatist Chechen ex-minister - Putin</strong></a><p style="font:13px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif; padding:5px 10px 0px 0;"><span style="color:#5590bf;">20:21</span> <span style="color:#5590bf; padding-right:7px;">14/03/2007</span> <span style="font-size:12px;">Russia's president said Wednesday a former separatist minister of Chechnya, Umar Khambiyev, could return to Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic. <a target="_blank" style="color:#335f86; padding-left:10px; text-decoration:underline;" href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070314/62018846.html" title="Russia ready to let in separatist Chechen ex-minister - Putin">>></a></span></p><div style="padding:6px 0 15px 30px; font:10px Verdana,sans-serif;"><a target="_blank" style="color:#114472; text-decoration:underline;" href="http://en.rian.ru" title="RIA Novosti">Other news of the day</a></div></div></div>

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Russia ready to let in separatist Chechen ex-minister - Putin

20:21 14/03/2007 Russia's president said Wednesday a former separatist minister of Chechnya, Umar Khambiyev, could return to Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic. >>

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