Refugees will come home only when Chechnya is ready to accept them and provide them normal life. No one will make them leave, especially in winter, he reassured.
Refugees are returning at a good pace, whether from Ingushetia or other parts of Russia, added Mr. Zyazikov.
Close on three hundred ethnic Russians who formerly lived in Ingushetia came back there quite recently. Construction is in full swing to give them dwellings, schools and Christian churches.
Ingushetia is also sheltering refugees from North Ossetia, another of Russia's constituent republics of the North Caucasus. Roughly twelve thousand of these have been registered.
When asked about current developments along the Ingush stretch of the Russian-Georgian frontier, the President said there were no problems there whatsoever. Ingushetia and Georgia have always been good neighbors, and are staying so. The frontier is being re-equipped according to an old saying: "The higher the fence the better the neighbor behind it," he joked.
Murat Zyazikov told his audience about his sojourn in Geneva, which he had recently visited to discuss the refugee issue with United Nations functionaries.
Jan Egland, UN Deputy Secretary General, has scheduled a visit to the North Caucasus for this month's end. Ingushetia and Chechnya are sure to appear on his itinerary, added the President.
Mr. Egland is expected to take stock of international humanitarian efforts in the North Caucasus. The number of organizations involved in the work may soon shrink to shift its emphasis to Chechnya. That shift is a must, and President Zyazikov had spoken about it with UN officers, he said.
