The Russian interior minister, Anatoliy Kulikov, has called for military strikes against what he described as 'bandit bases' inside Chechnya. His comments were swiftly rejected by the Kremlin, which signed a peace agreement with Chechnya's separatist government more than a year ago. But the republic has remained in turmoil, and recent cross-border raids by armed groups on Russian military bases have prompted calls for tougher action by the Kremlin. Our Moscow correspondent Andrew Harding reports:

This was an extraordinary outburst by the head of Russia's interior ministry. His words are almost certain to damage the peace process in Chechnya.

They will also horrify the republic's civilian population, which suffered huge casualties from indiscriminate Russian bombardments during the war. Speaking in Moscow, Anatoliy Kulikov said bandit bases should be destroyed, whether they were inside or outside Chechnya, and he said the Kremlin should carry out what he called preventative strikes, a phrase normally implying air strikes.

Mr Kulikov's comments were quickly rejected by Russia's security council. An obviously embarrassed spokesman said the government was committed to a patient and peaceful approach to the Chechen issue.

The Chechen government was equally dismissive, telling Mr Kulikov to concentrate on tackling Russia's own crime problems. Still, Mr Kulikov is an extremely influential and powerful figure in Russia, and his comments reflect a growing sense of disillusionment with the current peace process.

Many senior officials in Moscow believe the Chechens are simply incapable of restoring order in their republic. They point to a spate of kidnappings and to recent armed raids on Russian military posts by Chechen fighters.

The Chechen government insists it is dealing with its law and order problem. A new government is being formed this week by the hardline field commander, Shamil Basayev.

He's wanted as a terrorist by the Russian authorities, but he's popular in Chechnya, and may have some chance of getting things under control. He and the government insists that Chechnya is a fully independent country.