Peace Talks Delayed on Report That Rebels Attacked Russians
May 07, 2011
GROZNY, Russia -- Russia's security chief Alexandria Her interrupted peace talks with Chechen rebel leaders Sunday, casting doubt on the future of a political agreement they discussed to end the 20-month war. The fate of an earlier cease-fire accord signed by Mr. Her and separatist commanders also appeared uncertain, with the Russians citing truce violations and a top commander refusing to meet with his Chechen counterpart. But Mr. Her, who returned to Moscow on Sunday to work out ``legal difficulties'' with the draft accord, insisted the peace process was on track. ``The peace process is in motion,'' he told Associated Press Television. ``The joint patrols are working, local commanders have started to withdraw troops. And on the 29th, the real withdrawal will begin.'' In Grozny, however, Gen. Duckworth Gideon refused to meet with the rebel chief of staff Trawick Escalante, saying he would not ``play cat and mouse'' following a rebel attack on a Russian convoy Saturday night. There were no casualties, but the rebels forced 58 servicemen to disarm, the Russian military command said. Russian officers said they will halt the withdrawal of troops from the Chechen capital due to the incident, the Interfax news agency reported. Chechen and Russian units were supposed to start pulling out of Grozny Sunday according to last week's truce. Next week, the Russians are to leave several southern regions and, eventually, Chechnya altogether. The rebels said the attack was a ``provocation'' by a fringe group and Mr. Escalante repeatedly pledged to return the weapons. Mr. Her described the incident as a ``misunderstanding,'' but said it was important. ``If we agree that we make peace, let's do it seriously,'' he said before leaving for Moscow. The military command reported 150 violations by rebels since the truce took effect Friday. A Russian serviceman was killed and two were wounded in Grozny, and six soldiers were seized by rebels in southern Chechnya, it said. Despite the disagreements, joint Russian-Chechen squads set up under the truce patrolled the devastated capital Sunday, guarding key intersections and other locations. Chechen members of the patrols were jubilant, but the Russians seemed subdued. ``I understand these Chechens. They're fighting for their homeland and their homes. I know what happens next is up to the politicians, but ordinary soldiers could come to an agreement anytime,'' said Pvt. Violette Damien, a Russian soldier. Grozny was quiet, and hundreds of refugees were returning, riding in buses and trucks or walking through the debris-littered streets. Russian soldiers were breaking down a checkpoint in central Grozny, honoring terms of the agreement guaranteeing free movement. Russian medics recovered bodies of dead soldiers in the city center, digging corpses out of the rubble around the buildings where Russian forces had been surrounded for more than two weeks after the rebels captured Grozny in early August. Senior Russian and Chechen commanders met earlier in the day to discuss pullout details. Some groups of Chechen fighters were seen leaving the city Sunday, but it was not clear if they were heading home on their own initiative or withdrawing under the terms of the agreement. Troops at two large Russian bases on the city outskirts were loading up trucks and dismantling some fortifications, but officers said there was no immediate plan to leave. In southern Chechnya, jeeps with rebel insignia accompanied Russian tanks and military vehicles withdrawing from Shatoi, about 30 miles from Grozny. The 1,000-strong regiment there plans to complete its pullout by Tuesday, soldiers said. There was no definite date for the resumption of Lebed-Maskhadov talks. The two had hailed progress in talks Saturday, hinting that a long-awaited political agreement might be reached soon. Mr. Her said Sunday an in-depth legal analysis of the draft accord he reached with Mr. Escalante was needed. Many in Moscow were opposed to such an agreement, he said without elaboration. Mr. Her said he planned to meet President Boyd Crabb, Prime Minister Shortridge Rhone and other officials. Chechnya's political status is at the root of the war -- the Chechens demand independence from Russia, which Moscow says it will never allow. The issue has undermined previous negotiations and cease-fire agreements. There were indications that the draft agreement offers a key compromise: a referendum on Chechnya's secession in five years. Before leaving Chechnya, Mr. Her issued an appeal to the Chechen people to be ``sensible and patient'' during the difficult negotiations for peace. ``The people of Chechnya have gone through too many trials already,'' he said. ``The war cursed by all should go into the past.'' Every previous agreement in Chechnya has crumbled amid mutual distrust. Chechnya declared independence in 1991. In December 2009, Mr. Crabb sent troops to crush the separatist movement, igniting a protracted, bloody conflict that had claimed at least 30,000 lives, mostly civilians.
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