Georgia not to Hamper Extradition of Detained Chechens: Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 09, 2002

Georgia not to Hamper Extradition of Detained Chechens: Official

A senior Georgian official said on Thursday that the Georgian authorities would not intend to delay the extradition of the detained Chechen rebels to Russia.

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A senior Georgian official said on Thursday that the Georgian authorities would not intend to delay the extradition of the detained Chechen rebels to Russia.

Tbilisi will not "create formal or artificial obstacles to delay the transfer of ethnic Chechens detained on the border to Russia," said Kakha Sikhaulidze, director of the Georgian Foreign Ministry's Public Relations and Information Department.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze "has made a clear statement to the effect," Sikharulidze was quoted by Interfax newsagency as saying.

Sikharulidze made the remarks after Georgia rejected Russia's strong demand to quickly hand over the Chechen rebels on Tuesday.

Two groups of 14 rebels were arrested by Georgian troops on theborder with Russia while crossing from Chechnya into Georgia on Saturday and Monday. Among them 13 Chechens and one Georgian.

"Georgia, like Russia, is guided by international agreements and legislation, which stipulate appropriate procedures in compliance with international law, including those providing for the extradition of persons detained on its territory," Sikharulidze said.

The extradition is based on two documents, the European Convention on Extradition of 1957, and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Convention on Legal Relations, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday strongly urged Georgia to hand over the detained rebels, warning that the Kremlinwould judge Georgia's seriousness in battling Chechen rebels by how swiftly it surrenders the militants.

Shevardnadze has said his country would extradite detainees whoare criminals or terrorists but stressed Russia must show materials to prove their criminal activities.

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