TENSIONS PERSIST IN ADYGEYA
President Putin's refusal to accept the letter of resignation tendered
last month by Republic of Adygeya President Khazret Sovmen (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," April 12 and 18, 2006) has failed to defuse the tensions
between the republic's Adyg/Cherkess minority and the Slavs, who
account for up to 70 percent of Adygeya's total population of 445,000.
The Union of Slavs of Adygeya vowed in a statement posted on April 28
on regnum.ru to continue campaigning for Adygeya's merger into the
surrounding Krasnodar Krai. The union publicly expressed its
disappointment that Putin did not accept Sovmen's resignation.
Meanwhile, the NGO Cherkess Congress has written to Sovmen protesting
alleged pressure and threats of physical reprisals, regnum.ru reported
on April 27. It did not name the source of those threats.
Representatives of dozens of public organizations, including one
representing the Cossacks and a second representing the Armenian
minority, issued a statement on 27 April publicly declining an
invitation to meet with presidential envoy to the Southern Federal
District Dmitry Kozak to discuss possible successors to Sovmen, whose
presidential term expires in January 2007, regnum.ru reported. LF
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