Chechens 'want peace talks'

Russia has offered Chechen rebels peace talks

		By Robert Parsons BBC Moscow correspondent

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy in the northern Caucasus says the Chechen rebel leadership has called for talks on peace and disarmament.

General Victor Kazantsev said he had been contacted by Akhmed Zakayev, a senior spokesman for the Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov.

Rebels have caused major problems for Russia

The rebels, he said, had asked for a meeting in Moscow to discuss a statement issued by President Putin last month in which he raised the possibility of peace if the Chechens laid down their weapons.

The Russian leader named General Kazantsev as the point of contact for rebel fighters wishing to take up his offer.

General Kazantsev said he expected a meeting to take place within ten days.

Talks, he said, would focus on procedures for disarming illegal armed groups and their reintegration into civilian life.

Claims dismissed

There was telephone contact between Chechen rebels and the Russian leadership shortly after President Putin made his statement, but this is the first time there has been mention of a possible meeting.

A Chechen rebel spokesman in Paris, however, dismissed General Kazantsev's comments as a provocation and an attempt to undermine positive developments in the negotiation process.

The Chechen side had spoken to the Russians, he said, but only to give them a list of possible participants in peace talks.