Chechen rebels prepared for peace talks

Chechen rebels have reportedly contacted Russian authorities about possible peace talks aimed at ending the latest war in the breakaway province.

Russian envoy Viktor Kazantsev said he has spoken with representatives of rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, but gave no details of the meeting.

Until recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin had refused to open peace talks and insisted that the Chechen insurgency had to be crushed by military force.

However, following the attacks in the United States earlier this month, he said a peace process could begin if the rebels agree to disarm.

The latest fighting in Chechnya erupted two years ago when Russian soldiers invaded the province following bomb attacks on apartment buildings in Russia that killed more than 300 people.

President Putin, calling the rebels "terrorists", refused to open talks with them unless they dropped their demands for independence, handed over all their weapons and surrendered their leaders.

By attaching these demands to any peace process, Mr Putin was effectively ruling out any realistic talks.

However, the United States is understood to have put pressure on the Russians to begin talks with the rebels in an attempt to eradicate the violence in the region.

Russia’s brutal oppression of the Muslim population in Chechnya was seen as a stumbling block in America’s efforts to recruit Muslim nations into its new so-called "coalition against terrorism".

Despite the latest push for peace, the violence has continued in the war-torn region. At least five Russian soldiers have been killed and a further 12 wounded in rebel attacks and mine explosions throughout Chechnya in the last 24 hours.