Quotes by Chechen authors

"We deny and have always denied having the slightest link with al-Qaeda"

"Until fighting ends and there are conditions, which allow the free expression of will by the people, there can be no elections and elections are not held in these circumstances anywhere in the world"

"Independence is not a whim or an ambition. It is the necessary condition of our survival as an ethnic group"

"I assure you, it would be much more pleasant for me to be an ordinary voter in peaceful Chechnya than the president of a republic at war"

"Western States keep playing with, and around, Russia"

"It is not advantageous for Russia in its present state to fight against Chechnya. The army is a mess. It must be made combat ready. That will take time. Russia has a lot of economic, social and political problems much more important than Chechnya"

"We will liberate our country from the occupying forces and put an end to relations between Russia and the Chechen State, no matter how difficult the task may be"

"A foreign ideology cannot be introduced into Chechnya - were it through an Arab or al-Qaeda. Our experience is rich and long enough for us to be Muslims and know what jihad is"

"People took part in the referendum because they were tired of the war. They are afraid of talking about it out loud, but they have shown exactly where they stand: Yes, we want peace, and we want to be a part of Russia"

"There is a rule of Sharia: If the enemy wants to suppress you, you are supposed to put up a strong resistance"

"In the police force, two, three, five traitors are detected who are really working for someone else. When we cleanse the police of them, the problem will be simplified a lot. Terrorists will have no one to contact - they will be left without informers"

"I always said that Wahhabism is unacceptable for the Chechen nation"

"The people have already determined Chechnya's status at the referendum - it is a unit of the Russian Federation. Its political status is not to be discussed any more"

"I grew up in a very religious family. I could read the Qu'ran easily at the age of five"

"In 2001-2002, I told the president that the election was supposed to take place when the war was over, at a time when we could return to peaceful life. We agreed upon that. However, I can see now that the election cannot be delayed any longer"

"I have to say that elections, even in the most peaceful region, always make the hardest time for regional state institutions, including security structures"

"Criminals were coming to Chechnya from all over the world - they did not have a place in their own countries. But they could live perfectly well in Chechnya"

"One has to work for years and decades, to conduct negotiations, to stand for positions and points of view, to jointly develop a civilized view on the administrative and state organization of Chechnya"

"One has to nurture a new generation, to raise children in the spirit of Islam"

"The attempted assassinations against me were not accidental"

"We need a strong police force - the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Chechnya. We have to get rid of the traitors who have managed to penetrate into the law-enforcement department"

"That is why I came to conclusion that the election must take place, so that the republic can have a government. If I were to say that everything will change for the better immediately, that would not be true. The struggle will continue for a long time"

"Military troops were withdrawn from Chechnya on Dec. 31, 1996"