TURKEY CHANGES ITS MIND.

TURKEY CHANGES ITS MIND.

The Times of London reported on January 11 that, “In a shift of policy, Turkey, formally sympathetic to the separatists in Chechnya, yesterday requested the [Russian extradition] dossier against [Movladi] Udugov.” Udugov, a one-time separatist first deputy prime minister, left Chechnya before the inception of the current war. Sergei Yastrzhembsky, President Putin’s principal spokesman for issues relating to Chechnya, reacted warmly to the news. According to The Times, he had this to say: “A new wind is blowing, and Turkey is beginning to understand the reasons for the conflict in Chechnya.” Commenting on this episode, Kommersant noted that “Udugov is now in confrontation with official Ichkeria, in the person of Maskhadov, and that means that there will be no complaints from the latter.” In addition, Kommersant pointed out, “Udugov is not in Turkey” (Kommersant, January 10). Udugov is reported to be living in Qatar, where he has been seen and interviewed by representatives of the Russian press.