US welcomes Chechnyan peace move

The US Government has welcomed the willingness of Chechnya’s rebel leader to begin peace talks with the Russian Government, describing it as a positive step towards ending the two-year-old war.

President Vladimir Putin’s envoy headed to southern Russia for negotiations with an envoy representing rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov.

Maskhadov played a key role in negotiating the end to the 1994-6 Chechnyan war, but his authority over the rebels and respect among the Russians have since suffered.

He said yesterday he would send Akhmed Zakayev, the deputy Prime Minister of the rebel government, to the talks.

‘‘We understand Maskhadov has announced dispatching of an envoy,’’ a US State Department official said. ‘‘This is the first positive development with the Russians in many months.’’

Maskhadov said the offer to start negotiations means ‘‘there is a real chance to start talks on the quick cessation of military actions and on the peaceful solution of centuries of accumulated conflicts’’.

Viktor Kazantsev, the Kremlin’s envoy for southern Russia and a former commander of the Russian military force in Chechnya, was appointed to lead the negotiation effort from the Russian side and visited the southern cities of Rostov-on-Don and Yessentuki yesterday.

‘‘We believe that President Putin made a sincere proposal to the Chechen side and hope that Maskhadov’s quick response indicates his sincere commitment to work toward a lasting peace in Chechnya as well,’’ said the State Department official.

While Moscow claims to have re-established control over Chechnya, its troops are killed daily in rebel assaults and landmine explosions.

Russian troops retreated from Chechnya after the 1994-96 war, which ended in de facto independence for the region.

Russian troops returned three years later after fighters based in Chechnya raided a neighbouring Russian region and tower block bombings blamed on the rebels killed more than 300 people.