ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 1, 1996 TAG: 9604010072
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MOSCOW
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
note: lede
Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered a unilateral cease-fire Sunday in the shell-shattered southern region of Chechnya and a phased withdrawal of some Russian forces as part of what he cast as a milestone peace plan to end the 15-month-old conflict.
In a sharp departure from recent Russian policy, Yeltsin declared on national television that Moscow is prepared for mediated talks with Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, whom the Russian leader just weeks ago said should be shot as a criminal.
Yeltsin, who is trying to remove the war as an issue in his re-election campaign, also said he is prepared to offer Chechnya more autonomy than any other region in the Russian Federation, a status he termed ``very close to independence.''
He declared that at midnight Sunday night (4 p.m. EST Sunday) ``military operations on Chechen territory will stop.''
But Russia's top commander in Chechnya, Gen. Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, said that would not be possible. ``For some reason, everyone thinks that March 31 will be a borderline when everything will stop and peace and accord will come,'' he told independent NTV television. ``I hope you understand it is impossible to do so.''
After more than 30,000 deaths, mostly civilians, and an exceptionally violent March offensive by Russian forces, Yeltsin's peace plan amounted to an eleventh-hour attempt to rescue his struggling presidential campaign just 11 weeks before the election on June 16.
The war, deeply unpopular throughout Russia, dominates the television news night after night with its ghastly images of charred bodies, smashed homes and weeping refugees.
Yeltsin has said his re-election prospects are doomed as long as it continues. He currently lags behind Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov in all the polls.
However, Yeltsin's plan fell short of meeting two of the Chechen separatists' core demands: complete independence from Russia, and the total withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechen territory.
Yeltsin once again ruled out sovereignty for Chechnya and acknowledged the issue remains ``the main stumbling block'' to a settlement. He further cast doubt on the scope and chances for success of his own proposal by declaring that Russian troops would be withdrawn only from parts of Chechnya that Moscow considers ``peaceful.''
An unspecified number of the 40,000 federal troops in Chechnya will remain behind to deal with what he called ``terrorism'' in the breakaway region 1,000 miles south of Moscow.
Yeltsin's latest cease-fire order therefore looks shaky at best. Previous cease-fires have been ignored altogether or violated within hours, if not minutes. Yeltsin acknowledged there is no guarantee of success this time, either, saying he is simply ``hoping this [proposal] has a very strong effect on events'' in Chechnya.
However, the peace plan may reduce the intensity of fighting to a level that would allow Yeltsin to claim progress toward ending the war as he campaigns.
Chechen leader Dudayev, a former Soviet air force general, said recently that he would not negotiate with Yeltsin, whom he dismissed as powerless.
Reaction among politicians in Moscow was mixed but skeptical.
Sergei Yushenkov, a liberal member of parliament, told the Interfax news agency the plan is ``undoubtedly positive, but clearly a belated and insufficient step.'' Former Gen. Alexander Lebed, a presidential candidate and strong critic of the war, called Yeltsin's proposal an election ploy with little chance of success, Interfax reported.
Yeltsin's address in prime time Sunday night came two months after the Russian leader had promised to unveil his peace initiative for Chechnya.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 linesby CNB