Widow of first Chechen president seeks Estonian citizenship

Moscow, July 21 (UNI) Alla Dudayeva, the widow of Chechnya's first president and separatist leader Dzhokhar Dudayev has applied for Estonian citizenship.

Ms Alla, 59, first asked the Estonian government to grant her citizenship in 2003, but her request was denied because she did not reside in the country, RIA Novosti news agency reported quoting a government official today.

However, this year the Estonian parliament passed legislative amendments allowing the government to grant citizenship to non-residents ''for exceptional merits.'' Ms Alla's application could be considered by the end of the year, said Aarne Veedla, a political adviser to the Estonian Minister of Population Affairs. Currently, Ms Alla and her 23-year-old son are living in Lithuania.

Late Mr Dzhokhar, who led Chechnya's separatists from 1991 until his death in 1996, had commanded a Soviet division of strategic bombers based in Estonia in the 1980s.

He became president of the newly declared Chechen Republic in October 1991 and declared independence from the Russian Federation the following month.

He was killed on April 21, 1996 by a precision-guided bomb when he was using a satellite phone after his location was detected by a Russian reconnaissance aircraft.

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