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Chechens break

off contacts

with Russia

MOSCOW: Chechen rebel negotiators decided on Friday to break off official contacts with their Russian counterparts in protest against attacks by Moscow's forces, Ekho Moskvy radio station quoted a Chechen official as saying.

Chechen information chief Movladi Udugov said separatist leaders had decided to protest about bombing raids by Russian planes. Ekho Moskvy said an official from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- which is mediating the talks -- confirmed contacts had been broken off.

Udugov said the decision to break off contacts had been taken by Chechen field commander Aslan Maskhadov and chief negotiator Khozhakhmed Yerikhanov at an early morning meeting.

Another Chechen representative, speaking to Reuters by satellite telephone, earlier said the rebels would issue an ultimatum after Russian Air Force planes bombed positions near the village of Roshni-Chu, 30 km (20 miles) southwest of Grozny.

The two sides signed a military agreement on July 30 to end the fighting but mutual distrust runs deep.

Under the terms of the deal, the rebels are supposed to hand in their weapons in exchange for Moscow pulling out most of its troops.

MOSCOW: Earlier Rebels in the separatist region of Chechnya attacked Russian troops 22 times overnight with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Interfax news agency quoted military officials as saying on Friday.

The agency gave no casualty figures for the attacks but said a total of seven Russian soldiers had been injured over the last 24 hours. Most of the night-time attacks took place in or near the capital Grozny.

Some rebels have started to hand in their weapons under the terms of a July 30 military agreement, but the deal is not backed by all the separatist fighters.

The rebels' senior negotiator on Thursday signalled he was ready to resume full-scale peace talks with Moscow, including negotiations over the region's political status.

Under the military agreement, the rebels agreed to hand over their arms in return for the withdrawal of most of the Russian forces sent to Chechnya eight months ago to crush the region's drive for independence.

Sporadic fighting has continued since the deal was signed, with each side blaming the other for violations.-Reuter