Question: Anatoly Yefimovich, what are the tasks of the new directorate?

Answer: Even before the events of September 11 a directorate was set up in the MFA structure, in which was to be concentrated all of the international information on the themes of fighting international terrorism, drug traffic, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and money laundering. The latest events have proven the need to elevate the status of this structure to the level of department: there is no international meeting at which the theme of international terrorism is not touched on.

Question: But do analogous structures exist abroad?

Answer: Yes, they do and are developing. The Office of Homeland Security has appeared in the United States recently, it is directly concerned with the problem of terrorism; in the Department of State there is a special sector headed by Admiral Taylor who for 30 years served in naval intelligence.

Question: In recent years the MFA had to hold its front in the struggle against terrorism. Minister Igor Ivanov was forced during each visit abroad to answer unpleasant questions about Chechnya. Does this situation still persist even after September 11?

Answer: I do not think that changes in international public consciousness will occur quickly. The first realization, of course, is proceeding. It has been no coincidence that President George Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, has said that Americans cannot fight against international terrorism in Afghanistan and back it in Chechnya. By the way, we are generally better understood by the representatives of the government of a specific country than officials from various international public organizations. This is explained by the fact that the government of a specific country is actually responsible for the security of its citizens and in the event of a new attack by terrorists it will have to answer. And the international organizations are concerned with a different problem - that there should be no human rights violations on the part of a particular state, including Russia. We do not dramatize this: after all, those people have this kind of job. But neither do we relinquish our responsibility for the ensuring of human rights.

Question: During the Cold War, the principle "Their terrorists are our freedom fighters, and our terrorists are their freedom fighters" often came into play.

Answer: Double standards still exist. A certain circle of persons have deliberately made the criticism of Russia for the events in Chechnya their pet subject. They won't accept any arguments or evidence. But on the whole the vector of public opinion is shifting towards understanding the position of Russia. Elementary logic induces people toward this. Look: although the entire world is concerned that innocent civilians should not suffer during the bombings in Afghanistan, the US refuses to guarantee a 100 percent "sterility" of the operation. Why then should even higher requirements be made to us?

It is also hard to ignore the fact that several men from the group that perpetrated the terrorist act of September 11 had been engaged in combat actions on the territory of Chechnya.

Question: In the Western press, however, this fact is in no way reflected.

Answer: Nevertheless, we have evidence also of this page in the biographies of the terrorists. By the way, the biographies of the participants in the terrorist act of September 11 are unique for the fact that during their stay in the West those men did not engage in anything unlawful. For no one prohibits collecting money in a mosque or learning to fly a plane. This shows how difficult is the task facing all - to prevent terrorist acts before the criminals begin to realize them.


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© Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.