Putin vows to talk with Chechen factions as Russia storms rebel hideouts

Human rights envoy arrives in Moscow

February 24, 2000
Web posted at: 6:16 p.m. EST (2316 GMT)

In this story: Russian military claims progress Gil-Robles expected to meet Ivanov on Friday RELATED STORIES, SITES

MOSCOW -- Russian military commanders are claiming new progress in their battle with rebel forces in Chechnya, and acting Russian President Vladimir Putin says he plans to talk with some Chechen factions.

MESSAGE BOARD The battle for Chechnya     ALSO

Putin's remarks came as The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to talk with senior officials about reports of summary executions, torture and rape allegedly committed by Russian soldiers in Chechnya.

The Council of Europe represents 40 nations that aim to protect democracy and human rights and promote European unity.

Putin vowed no letup in the military campaign until the rebels have been crushed, but he also said the Chechnya crisis requires a political solution.

Speaking on Baltika radio in St. Petersburg, Putin said, "We will definitely carry the military operation through to the end."

He added, "With the Chechen people, we shall resolve all problems, whatever their nature -- social, economic or political -- only by peaceful means, at the negotiating table."

Putin said there were "forces" in Chechnya ready to cooperate with Russia to help rebuild the region.

Russian troops patrol Chechnya

Russian military claims progress

Putin's remarks came as the Russian military said a large concentration of rebels had been forced to disperse under intense air and ground assaults in Chechnya's southern mountains.

Russian troops have captured dominant heights around the town of Shatoi, the separatist fighters' last major command post, the military command said.

The rebel core in Shatoi has broken up into groups of 15 to 80 fighters, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported, citing military sources.

Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said 70 to 80 militants were killed around Shatoi since Wednesday, while two Russian servicemen were killed. The reports could not be independently confirmed.

Interfax news agency quoted military sources as saying warplanes had conducted 120 sorties in the past 24 hours, destroying an air defense installation and other facilities.

The Russian raids are concentrated on the Vedeno and Argun gorges, where thousands of rebels are holed up after being driven south by the Russian offensive.

The rebels' Internet site, Kavkaz.org, confirmed that Russian troops were advancing on Shatoi but said the separatist fighters were putting up fierce resistance.

It also said 40 men from the Russian special forces had been killed near the village of Khal-Keloi near Shatoi and that the rebels had downed five helicopters in the past five days.

Russia has denied an earlier report that it lost three helicopters to rebel fire.

Gil-Robles expected to meet Ivanov on Friday

Gil-Robles is expected to meet Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov Friday to discuss a possible trip to Chechnya. Russia denies its troops have committed atrocities, and Ivanov has accused the West of waging an information war against Moscow.

ORT public television said Chechnya's border with Russia's Ingushetia region, home to about 200,000 refugees, would be reopened on Friday.

It was closed earlier this week because of fears of Chechen terrorist attacks timed to coincide with the annual commemoration of Joseph Stalin's 1944 mass deportation of Chechens from the Soviet Union.

Russia also restricted the movement of people within Chechnya, but that restriction is to be lifted on Friday, Interfax said, citing Russia's Chechnya envoy, Nikolai Koshman.

Following weeks of airstrikes, Russia sent troops into Chechnya in late September to fight rebels whom it blamed for apartment bombings that killed some 300 people in Russia. The rebels deny any involvement in the attacks.

The bombings came after Chechnya-based fighters invaded the neighboring republic of Dagestan in August and were driven out by Russian forces.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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