FOCUS-Chechen ``embassy'' opens in Taleban's Kabul
10:49 a.m. Jan 23, 2000 Eastern

KABUL, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya opened an embassy in Afghanistan on Sunday as Russian artillery pounded the Chechen capital Grozny.

A green, white and black flag with six stars and a wolf was raised over a building in Kabul's city centre Flower Street, where residents with sufficient money buy blooms for weddings and toys for their children.

The ceremony brought together two movements which have fought to establish Islamic states that remain unrecognised by most other countries.

The Taleban, ruling a country where thousands of Russian soldiers were killed by Moslem guerrillas during the Soviet army's 1979-89 intervention, are the first movement to have recognised the Chechen separatists as a government.

The embassy was opened by the deputy foreign minister of the ruling Taleban movement, Abdul Rehman, and Chechen officials.

The Taleban official praised Chechen separatists for putting up what he called stiff resistance to a massive Russian force which has been trying to crush their resistance in Grozny.

He urged other Moslem states to rally behind the Chechen people and said the Taleban would give whatever help it could when Chechen officials formally move into the premises at an unspecified future date.

The ceremony followed a pledge by the Taleban last week to recognise the Chechen government and offer it assistance. The decision to recognise the breakaway government was made during a visit to Kabul by a former Chechen president Zelimkhan Andarbayev, who was in Kabul on Sunday.

The Taleban, who say they are on a mission to create the world's most authentic Islamic state, gave the Chechen delegation the building for its embassy, Taleban officials said.

Only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have formally recognised the Taleban as the government of Afghanistan since it swept to power in 1996.

The Taleban control 90 percent of Afghanistan but are shunned by most countries. The world community wants to see a broad-based government, including groups still at war with the Taleban, to end 20 years of violence in Afghanistan.