DANISH CARICATURE CONTROVERSY PRODUCES FALLOUT IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001219

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PINR RS
SUBJECT: DANISH CARICATURE CONTROVERSY PRODUCES FALLOUT IN
CHECHNYA


Classified By: A/Polcouns Bruce Donahue. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 6, Chechnya's controversial
Acting Prime Minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced that Danish
NGOs would be banned in his republic because of the insult to
Muslims caused by the caricatures in a Danish newspaper. GOR
officials distanced themselves from Kadyrov's position, while
Danish officials said closure of the Danish Refugee Council,
apparently the only NGO affected so far, resulted from
concerns for the safety of its staff rather than from
Kadyrov's announcement. An attack on a Danish citizen in
Moscow appears unrelated to the controversy. Kadyrov's
political strength has been growing in recent months, and his
announcement appears to be part of his bid to become the
republic's president. END SUMMARY.
.
KADYROV STATEMENT LEADS TO SUSPENSION OF DRC ACTIVITY
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2. (SBU) In a February 6 statement, the Chechen Republic's
Acting PM, Ramzan Kadyrov, accused Danes of insulting Muslims
through the publication of the controversial caricatures in a
Danish newspaper. Asserting that everything from Denmark
would be banned in (predominantly Muslim) Chechnya, Kadyrov
singled out NGOs.


3. (SBU) A Danish emboff told us February 7 that the Danish
Refugee Council (DRC) appeared to be the only casualty of
Kadyrov's announcement to date. The DRC is one of the
largest providers of humanitarian aid in the North Caucasus,
reportedly providing food to some 250,000 people in the
region, primarily in Chechnya. The UN Office of the
Coordinator of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) told us that it
had received a letter from the Chechen government advising
that the DRC should suspend its activities because the
government could not guarantee the safety of the NGO's staff.
DRC Country Director Per Ilsaas told us that though he had
not received a copy of that letter, he was aware of it and
his organization had suspended its field operations and
stopped sending expatriates into Chechnya. DRC was also
considering bringing its eight or nine expats working in the
region to Moscow. (Note: The DRC also has approximately 340
local staff members. End Note.) Ilsaas said the suspension
of DRC activity would not immediately create a
life-threatening situation for its aid recipients. The DRC
publicly underscored that the organization had no control
over the Danish press and that it did not associate itself
with any statements that might offend religious feelings.
.
GOR OFFICIALS DISTANCE SELVES FROM KADYROV STATEMENT
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4. (SBU) Russian officials were quick to disassociate
themselves from Kadyrov's statement. State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov said on February 7 that Kadyrov's words should
be seen as "private views" rather than those of the Chechen
government. Mikhail Barshchevskiy, the GOR representative to
the Constitutional, Supreme and Higher Arbitration Courts,
questioned the constitutionality of Kadyrov's statement.
Privately, a Chechen contact in the Presidential
Administration in Moscow acknowledged to us that there was no
relationship between the NGO and Danish newspapers, but he
did not comment further on the issue.
.
DANES TAKE LOW-KEY APPROACH
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5. (C) The Danish emboff told us February 8 that his
government hoped the suspension would be short-lived. His
embassy had chosen not to comment publicly in order to avoid
sparking further controversy. It also was not seeking
clarification from federal officials as to whether Kadyrov
had the authority to ban the NGO, since this might lead to
unpleasant questions as to how much control the Russian
government was able to exercise in Chechnya. In the view of
our Danish contact, Kadyrov had made his announcement as a
tactical move to satisfy internal political constituents.
.
MOSCOW ATTACK APPEARS UNRELATED
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6. (SBU) The media reported February 6 that a Danish citizen
had been hit by a pellet from an air pistol fired by a
Caucasian man in a brawl in central Moscow in which an Amcit
had also been involved. While the incident was not initially
related to anti-Danish sentiment, later reports suggested the
shooting had been sparked by ill feelings over the Danish
caricature. Our Danish embassy colleague told us February 8
that there was no indication of any such connection.
.
COMMENT

MOSCOW 00001219 002 OF 002


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7. (C) The Danish caricature controversy sparked ill feelings
among Russia's sizable Muslim population, and Ramzan
Kadyrov's statement sought to exploit those feelings.
Kadyrov's political strength has been on the rise, and he is
widely seen as likely to become Chechnya's president when he
turns thirty, the constitutionally mandated minimum age for
assuming that position. Although his statement may be
dismissed as that of a "loose cannon," as has long been his
reputation, it may also have been calculated to reinforce the
message that he is already in charge of his republic and not
prepared to be outflanked in Muslim zeal by his Islamist
opposition.
BURNS