CHECHNYA….

The Kremlin’s schedule for the capture of the Chechen capital–Grozny to the Russians, Djohar to the Chechen rebels–has slipped from December to January to February. The Monitor’s correspondent says it is “beyond obvious” that the city will not fall any time soon…. The Russian general killed in the fighting was the first to die in battle since 1945…. Putin’s spokesman last week again rejected talks with Chechnya’s President Aslan Maskahdov, saying Maskhadov was “elected in contravention of the constitution.” Boris Yeltsin signed a peace treaty with elected president Maskhadov in 1997…. A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a Strabourg talking shop, visited Russian-held portions of Chechnya and refugee camps in Ingushetia. After receiving the delegation’s report, the Assembly considered a proposal to suspend Russia’s membership. Two-thirds of the Assembly did not vote, and the proposal was defeated.