Mothers of Beslan dead reject Kremlin promise

By Amie Ferris-Rotman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Mothers of Russian children killed in the Beslan school siege three years ago rejected Kremlin promises on Saturday of a thorough investigation, saying the government was complicit in the deaths.

Hundreds of children were killed when troops stormed the school, seized by Chechen rebels at the start of the school year in September 2004.

President Vladimir Putin, speaking to young students at a school in south Russia, said the country would not forget the "children who would never go to school again".

Kremlin envoy Dmitry Kozak told families of the victims a solid investigation was being carried out into the handling of the siege, Russian local media reported. Any officials found negligent would face trial.

But members of the Beslan Mothers Committee, gathering in a Moscow square on Saturday along with 300 others, dismissed the government's latest gesture as empty.

"There will be no good results from this investigation, Kozak will make sure there are no guilty parties," committee head Ella Kesaeva told Reuters.

"We came to Moscow to give the message that you can't shut people up in society, we demand a fair investigation."

Gunmen seized more than 1,000 children and parents attending a ceremony in Beslan to mark the new school year in September 2004. A total of 333 hostages -- half of them children -- died in the siege, which ended with a chaotic rescue attempt.