CHECHEN TALKS DELAYED UNTIL JUNE 28.

In order to allowthe Russian delegation to the talks to meet with President BorisYeltsin, the talks in Grozny will now resume on June 28, ratherthan today as had been announced, Itar-Tass reported June 27.Despite the delay, Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdinsaid he was encouraged by the talks, Itar-Tass reported June 26.Other Russians were less sure, with army officers telling IzvestiyaJune 24 that they did not believe anything would come from thetalks, and an analysis in Segodnya the same day suggestingthat the Chechens would not give up their demands for completeindependence. And it became clear that the early euphoria aboutthe talks was misplaced: the agreements so far are limited tomilitary issues which will only go into effect if there is a politicalsettlement. Meanwhile, Russian officials, including delegationchief Vyacheslav Mikhailov, denounced a statement on Moscow’sNTV by Shamil Basayev, the Chechen who led the Budennovsk raid,that he had shown the way for Chechens to act in the future ifMoscow was not forthcoming in the talks. Mikhailov said that thiswas "a senseless and insensitive attempt to exert pressure"on Moscow. Rumors circulated that Basayev had fled to Pakistan,but NTV said he was still in Chechnya. In other comments, Basayevexpressed regret to the relatives of those who had died in Budennovsk.

Toward a Compromise in the Political Crisis.