Kadyrov nominated new Chechen President

Moscow, Mar 1 (UNI) Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of assassinated Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, was today nominated as new President of Chechnya by the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

''I have taken a decision to nominate you as a candidate for President of the Chechen Republic. An appropriate letter will be forwarded to Grozny today in accordance with the law,'' Mr Putin told Mr Kadyrov during a meeting with him at the presidential country residence at Novo-Ogaryovo, near here.

Last month, the Russian President accepted the resignation of former Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, whose term was due to expire in 2008 and appointed him Deputy Justice Minister in the federal government.

''As Chechen deputy prime minister and prime minister you have done a great deal to restore Chechnya,'' Mr Putin told Mr Kadyrov, stressing the recent progress in Chechnya's development.

He said he hoped Chechen parliament would support Mr Kadyrov's candidacy, who should continue his efforts for Chechnya's socio-economic restoration.

Mr Kadyrov thanked Putin for his nomination and said, if parliament approved his candidacy, he planned to make Chechnya the most peaceful and prosperous region in Russia.

''If I have the trust, I will make every effort to continue the work my father and you started so that Chechens can live with dignity and in safety,'' he said.

Mr Kadyrov also vowed to eradicate terrorism and Wahhabism in Chechnya.

Meanwhile, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg today demanded at the international human rights conference in Grozny, the Chechen capital, that human tortures should stop in Chechnya.

''Illegal interrogation methods and torture are routine in Chechnya,'' Interfax news agency quoted Mr Hammarberg as saying.

He said he had the impression that torture was still used in Chechnya, adding rather a large number of inmates had been tortured, and this seemed to be systematic.

UNI