CHECHEN TALKS CONTINUE.

Despite the vicious murder of sevenmembers of a Chechen family near Grozny, continuing anger overYeltsin’s decree about Russian basing in Chechnya and whetherits modification really meant anything, and both violence in Chechnyaand anti-Russian demonstrations in Grozny, the talks continuedall weekend with apparently substantial progress on all but thecentral issue–whether Chechnya is part of Russia or is a sovereignstate. Both sides condemned the killing of the family as a provocationby those opposed to peace–as did Yeltsin who promised to takepersonal charge of the investigation– and attended the funeral.Both released a small number of POWs, and agreed that Yeltsin’sdecree had not helped matters. But the Russian delegation shelvedits "zero option" that would have required the resignationof Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev to set the stage for theNovember 5 elections. The talks continue July 10, but again overthe weekend, there was no new information on the fate of FredCuny, the American aid worker who has been missing in the regionsince April 9.

Chechen Court Cases Opens.