From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 12/20/2006 11:55 AM
Fancy a no-frills break? Then try Chechnya
Publication time: Today at 14:18 Djokhar time
On your right, ladies and gentlemen, please note the ruins of Grozny, and coming up on the left the renowned ORB-2 torture complex. At the end of the tour, please hand in your bulletproof vests. Although this scenario does not yet exist, the Chechen prime minister yesterday revealed plans to develop tourism in the war-torn republic, where pro-Russian forces clash each week with militants and swaths of the capital lie under rubble.
 
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Moscow-backed leader, said his administration planned to build a large hotel, set up campsites and restore historic monuments in anticipation of an influx of foreign visitors.
Mr Kadyrov, 30, a hard man who controls thousands of paramilitaries, said: "I am absolutely convinced that Chechnya's attractiveness is no less than other regions of Russia or Europe. If the necessary infrastructure is created, the tourist business could seriously add to the budget of the Chechen republic."
 
His plan includes regular bus links between Chechnya and western countries such as Germany and Belgium.
 
But the proposals alarmed tour operators. "Even a Russian tourist - who's not afraid of much - will hardly be enticed down there," said Irina Tyurina of the Russian Tourist Union.
 
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Chechnya and neighbouring entities Ingushetia and Dagestan, citing poor security and the risk of kidnapping.
 
Potential visitors who overcome the tricky Russian visa process may come a cropper when they try to enter Chechnya via the Kavkaz checkpoint. Chechnya is officially called the "zone of counter-terrorist operations" and the only foreigners allowed to travel there are aid workers and journalists with special accreditation and an armed guard.
 
Sights may also be sparse as federal forces levelled most large towns.
 
There are a few potential spots under construction - an enormous mosque in Grozny and a £3m aqua park in Gudermes - but minefields, firefights and piles of rubble are unlikely tourist attractions. Grozny has only one small state-owned guesthouse, guarded by special forces. Most visitors stay on army bases. Officials estimate that 700 separatists are still operating in Chechnya.
 
Mr Kadyrov was unswayed: "We have five different climatic zones from desert to snowy peaks over 4,000m high. To let such an opportunity go would be foolish."
 
While premature, the proposal may have some rationale as a way to boost income. Unemployment hovers around 90% and the federal government has identified lack of jobs as a key factor pushing young men to join extremists.
 
Dmitry Kozak, President Vladimir Putin's representative in southern Russia, said: "Our task now is to destroy stereotypes about the south ... as a zone of armed conflict and political instability."
 
Source: Guardian