Russia Mourns Beslan Tragedy

Dozens of coffins snaked their way through this grief-stricken town into a muddy field serving as a makeshift cemetery on Monday as Russia buried its children on a day of mourning for the hundreds who died in the Beslan school crisis.

Drizzle fell as soldiers dug and tractors plowed into the soggy ground to make room for 160 new graves. Thousands watched on -- some women falling into hysterics and fainting, soldiers breaking out into tears -- as the coffins were lowered into the earth. "God! Why did you take him so early? Why?" one woman wailed over the grave of her son.

With the republic on the edge of its nerves, landmine experts from the Russian army checked the field on the edge of an airport before the ceremony got underway.

Meanwhile charred remains of books, uniforms, shoes, schoolbags -- anything recovered from the smoldering ashes of School No. 1 from their lost kids -- were laid out by parents amid the carnations in the school's shattered shell. The latest death toll had increased to as many as 335 -- half of them believed to have been children. Some 337 remained hospitalized, many of them in serious condition with burns and shrapnel wounds.

"Today, with our hearts and souls, we are all there. We are in North Ossetia, in Beslan," Russian President Vladimir Putin told a government meeting in Moscow before standing up to observe a moment of silence.

Europe offers explanation for comments

In Brussels, members of the European Union executive held a minute's silence for the victims of the hostage-taking as the European Commission moved to defuse the row over a statement made on Friday by Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, who said the EU wanted to "know from the Russian authorities how this tragedy could have happened."

An official EU statement on Monday spoke of the regret over the "misunderstanding" which had led to a sharp rebuke from Moscow, adding that it was a shame that the row was clouding the issue at a time when Europe wants to express its solidarity with Russia.

"There are things that have been taken out of context for reasons that I don't know," said spokesman Reijo Kemppinen, who reiterated Brussels' condemnation of the Beslan hostage-taking as an "evil, despicable act of barbarism."

European Commission chief Romano Prodi said on Sunday that it was legitimate to make a "friendly" request to Russia for an explanation, albeit only after further examination of what exactly happened including any "gray areas." "Following that process a request for an explanation is legitimate, as is normal between friendly countries," he added on the margins of a meeting in northern Italy. The Commission later underlined that the EU remarks did not imply any criticism of Russian authorities.

Schröder calls for help not advice

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder offered his own support. He called for help and solidarity with the victims instead of advice. "We have always made clear that there must be a political solution in Chechnya, but in order to reach a political solution one needs people to talk to. I do not believe that we can or should negotiate with terrorists who shoot panicked children in the back."

Meanwhile, Russian television pulled its entertainment programs and recriminations rang out in the Moscow press over why no one was being held responsible for a three-day standoff near Chechnya that ended in carnage not seen in the modern Russian era. Russia's leaders were accused of indecisiveness in a time of crisis, being thrown into panic by a crisis that could have been foretold amid a broader wave of Chechen-linked violence sweeping the country.

Russian media criticizes indecision

"The Beslan operation was headed by more or less everyone who was not too lazy to do it -- local authorities, regional authorities, the security services," the authoritative Vedomosti newspaper wrote. "But the law on terrorism says that the FSB (Federal Security Service, ex-KGB) should be in charge of anti-terrorism operation," the paper said, noting that it was not clear if those agents were on the spot.

Russian state-controlled television ran footage of a man who looked like he was from the Caucasus being dragged by police, his arms handcuffed high behind his back, in pain and being accused of orchestrating the strike.

"This man personally took part in the attack, he was part of that gang, he took part in shooting. Today he will be charged," Sergei Fridinsky said in comments broadcast by Russia's Channel One television. "They will all be punished for all the crimes they committed, and this man among others," Fridinsky added.

The suspect, whose name and nationality were not released, insisted in strongly accented Russian that "By Allah, I have not shot" and "By Allah, I have not killed."

Huge anti-terror demonstration planned

Anger and fear was tangible across the nation. The education ministry ordered schools across Russia to boost security and issued guidelines for doing so. Guards stood at the entrance of several Moscow schools. Elsewhere in the capital, news filtered through of a massive anti-terror demonstration planned for Tuesday outside the Kremlin by Russia’s main trade with as many as 100,000 people expected to attend.