- Title: RUSSIA: RUSSIAN-CHECHEN PEACE TALKS ADJOURN ABRUPTLY.
- Date: 2nd July 1995
- Summary: GROZNY, CHECHNYA, RUSSIA (JULY 2,, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV RUSSIAN NEGOTIATOR ARKADY VOLSKY ENTERING BUILDING OF ORGANISATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE (OSCE) WHERE TALKS BEING HELD, SURROUNDED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS 0.08 2. SV RUSSIAN ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER IN STREET OUTSIDE TALKS VENUE
- Embargoed: 17th July 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: GROZNY, CHECHNYA, RUSSIA
- Reuters ID: LVAEQ7R6EB08KL7UU9E7J5QXTCRD
- Story Text: Peace talks in Chechnya's capital Grozny to resolve the conflict in the breakaway region adjourned abruptly on Sunday (July 2) and delegates declined to comment on what had been discussed.
The talks, due to resume on Monday (July 3), have established a peace process for the first time since Russia sent troops to Chechnya in December to stop moves towards secession.
The two sides have agreed a ceasefire and military protocol including a pledge by the rebels to disarm in return for the partial withdrawal of Russian troops.
They are now trying to seal a peace deal by tackling a range of political and economic issues which appear to be much harder to resolve.
The Chechen negotiators said on Saturday (July 1) they would publicly destroy some of their heavy weapons in a sign of support for the peace efforts initiated by Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
But the destruction did not go ahead as planned and Chechen commander Aslan Maskhadov said during a break in talks that it would not take place on Sunday. He promised a statement explaining why, but it did not emerge when the talks broke up.
Delegates who had laughed and joked with journalists on previous days looked anxious when they left the negotiations, held in the Grozny offices of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
An OSCE representative quoted by Interfax news agency said the talks were likely to continue until Tuesday (July 4).
Sources close to the negotiations said the two sides had discussed a so-called "zero option" under which rebel leader Dhokhar Dudayev and the head of the Moscow-installed temporary government in Chechnya would resign to pave the way for elections later this year.
They also said there had been fighting in the mountains in the south of the republic despite the ceasefire, but no details or independent confirmation were available.
Two burned-out cars lay close to a Russian checkpoint near Grozny on Sunday, one of which contained the charred bodies of two Chechens thought to have been travelling during a curfew declared in the war-torn region.
The two sides have complained of violations of the ceasefire but have said that in general it has held.
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