4 January 2000
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Shaimiev Calls Yeltsin's Resignation 'Timely'
Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev said that Yeltsin's retirement was "timely" bdecause it would have been "dishonest" if the former president had resigned after making a New Year's day speech. Shaimiev said he respected Yeltsin for his courage in facing communist opponents a decade ago. In other remarks, Shaimiev noted that Yeltsin was always unpredictable. Shaimiev said that he was ready to work with new acting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tatars React to Yeltsin's Departure, Putin's Arrival
Indus Tagirov, the president of the World Congress of Tatars, told RFE/RL on 3 January thatYeltsin'ss retirement was caused by "a palace revolution in the Kremlin," adding that Yeltsin's people had talked him into resignation. Newspapers in Kazan speculated that Putin would move to limit the freedoms of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan after he establishes strict control over Chechnya.