CHECHEN FIGHTING CONTINUES AFTER DEADLINE.

Sporadic fightingtook place between Russian and Chechen units even after Russianand Chechen commanders issued a joint appeal for an end to thefighting, and called on Chechen units to begin to turn in theirarms, Moscow media reported August 1-2. Meanwhile, the other Chechennegotiations remained at a standstill: Sovetskaya Rossiya onAugust 1 reported that there had been no progress in the four-day-oldtalks with a group of six Chechen commandos who are surroundedby Russian forces in Daghestan. And Pyatigorsk prosecutors continuedtheir investigation into the death of Russian journalist NatalyaAlyakina, Moscow’s Echo radio reported. There were, however, noreports on the fate of Fred Cuny, the American aid specialistwho has been missing in the region since April 9.

Russians Remain Divided on Chechen Accords.