OPERATIONAL CONTROL GROUPS TO BE SUBORDINATE TO PRESIDENT'S PLENIPOTENTIARY IN SOUTH DISTRICT

VLADIKAVKAZ, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Operational control groups designed to have an instant response to potential or actual manifestations of extremism in the Southern federal district will be subordinate directly to me," said the president's plenipotentiary Vladimir Yakovlev when meeting with North Ossetian public figures. He named the district's commander of the interior forces as his deputy, adding that such control groups would be set up in all the areas, including North Ossetia.

"Such groups are entitled to make urgent decisions on their own, without coordinating their actions with Moscow as was the case before," said Yakovlev.

Still earlier, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev reported to the president that operational control groups had been formed in the North Caucasus in all the 13 Federation jurisdictions, including the Chechen republic, for coordinating their law enforcement action aimed at removing terrorist threats and at preventing an intrusion by members of illegal armed units.

These groups will have under their command forces and technology from the federal security service (FSB), the defense ministry, the interior ministry and the emergency situations ministry. In addition, the ministry of the interior sends special 70-men police units to each Federation jurisdiction.

Vladimir Yakovlev claims that opposition took advantage of the Beslan tragedy to square accounts. "Opposition is quite a natural phenomenon for every Russian city, for Europe or the world, but it is not the right time for getting even. Unfortunately, rallies often see not those who want peace and feel pain but people with quite opposite moods," said Yakovlev.

For two days running, on September 7 and 8, the central square in Vladikavkaz was the venue of an unsanctioned thousands-strong meeting in front of the government building. Some participants demanded a republican government resignation.

North Ossetian President Alexander Dzasokhov announced his decision to dismiss the government last Wednesday and signed a relevant decree the next day.

The Russian president's plenipotentiary in the Southern federal district, Vladimir Yakovlev, is to report to the Kremlin on law enforcement action in connection with the situation in Beslan.

"I shall report to the president on the work of law-enforcement bodies, on what is incorrect, on their mistakes. These reports are to underlie decisions which are to be taken without any regard for ranks and posts," said Yakovlev. In particular, he dubbed the fact of the truckful of people making its way to the Beslan school as inadmissible.

Yakovlev stayed in Beslan from September 1 to 4.