Chechnya - Election preparations

(23 Jan 1997) T/I: 11:00:28 Thousands of Chechens gathered for an exhuberant pro-independence rally in the ruined centre of Grozny on Thursday (23/1) as the breakaway republic's presidential elections hit the final straight. Four days before the elections, in which all the main candidates were wartime separatist leaders, the rally by about 8,000 people reminded Russia that Chechens are more determined than ever to pursue their goal of sovereignty. Men and women gathered separately to dance the Moslem prayer ritual, the "zikr," waved red-white-green independence flags and raised their fists in the air to show approval for speeches. SHOWS: GROZNY, CHECHNYA 23/1 Vs gv Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev rally in Grozny; Chechen President speaking in Chechen; Salman Raduyev at meeting; woman with a child holding a Chechen flag; ms girls in national costumes; girls dancing; traditional Chechen dance performed by men; old man jumping; procession with flags; old women holding former Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev portraits; gv rally; cu feet dancing; little boy with machine gun; Ext headquarters of Shamil Basayev, front runner Chechen rebel; CU of picture of him; walks upstairs into room; Basayev SOT in Russian: "I have what to say to the people, how to answer their questions. And that is why I keep meeting people. My tactics and strategy are very simple: I never turn from the path I have chosen, and walk it till the end."; cu Basayev portrait MOSCOW Ext Building; Ruslan Aushev, President of the Russian republic of Ingushetia, SOT in Russian:"We know there is fierce struggle for president's post in Chechnya. And in the conditions when crime counts greatly, of course the current situation is tense, and more so, when so many forces around Chechnya want this or that, and some do not even want the elections at all." ca journalists; gv press conference. 2.50 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...